


My Secrets

by Ravenhale



Category: Rosario + Vampire
Genre: Coming of Age, Female Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 18:42:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 163,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20475746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenhale/pseuds/Ravenhale
Summary: This is an AU continuation of My Pleasure, told in Kurumu's POV. This story picks up a couple days after the conclusion of My Pleasure (May 19th - May 31st, 2005), covering first season's Chapters 11 & 12. Not strictly canon.





	1. Dreams Renew

Kurumu groaned at the sound of her alarm. Something warm was pressed to her side and she was lying on something softer than usual. She shifted, aware that a sheet was drawn up to midriff. Hot breath tickled her bare skin.

That was not her alarm. A thin arm was draped across her breasts. Her moment of panic quickly subsided as she glanced over at the weight pressed to her left side. Yukari's cherubic face hovered close, cheek resting upon her shoulder. Eyes closed, the girl breathed softly.

After nagging her for days, Yukari had convinced her to spend the night. It had been a difficult thing to promise since Ms. Kagome's special lessons left her in such an unresponsive state. Yukari must have guided her here as she had promised.

The girl had not mentioned stripping her naked. At least Yukari was wearing her silky white chemise with the panda heads. As Kurumu brushed aside Yukari's bangs, the little girl shifted, squeezing Kurumu.

“Mommy.”

It was Thursday. Tsukune had returned to school and things had calmed down. The rumor of him being a vampire had circulated quickly. Despite being forewarned, Tsukune had trouble confirming the lie. Most that confronted him directly passed off his hesitance as trying to observe the rules against discussing true forms.

Kurumu took in a deep breath, rubbing her palm against her right eye. It sounded like the alarm clock was sitting on the kitchen counter. Yukari had mentioned setting it earlier to allow them time for experimentation. Hopefully her nude state did not mean such things had already happened.

“Get up, munchkin.”

Her nethers were itchy. Such was the joys of shaving. She hoped it would grow back soon as this annoying sensation had persisted all week.

Extracting herself from Yukari's clutches and the sheets, Kurumu crawled out of bed. She felt her long hair brush against her back as she shuffled across the room to the bathroom. Slipping inside the tiny compartment she sat down on the toilet and relieved herself.

She stared at the shower, wondering if she should. Probably not yet. Things were bound to get messy. She yawned, padding herself dry before flushing.

With the PSC matter settled, they had all been working in earnest on their articles. Tora was doing a piece for the PSC concerning recruitment as well as a second article introducing their student council. Ginei was running his own student police article concerning their dispute, cautiously smoothing over the details without mention of any deaths. Of course there would still be rumors but the official statement would be that the student police seniors had been expelled and that Kuyo had been dismissed from his position due to blatant misconduct. Ginei had done most of the footwork for a second article that would properly introduce their Newspaper club, though he had not written it yet for them to review.

Kurumu had arranged a lunch tomorrow with the choir instructor, Ms. Tomarigi. She had caved in to Ginei's insistence over taking pictures. As the choir consisted of twenty four girls, everyone had agreed to help. Well… everyone but Yukari.

She had considered doing the soccer team first, but Coach Kotsubo had been unavailable Monday and Tuesday. She had heard from Burumoto that the coach had been hospitalized over the weekend. The boys did not know all the details, but promised to let her know when things were squared up and ready.

The coach had not been the only one absent those first couple days. According to Tobuyoku, Hanetsume had been absent due to it being that time of the season. The flush girl had admitted to narrowly dodging that bullet herself, having passed hers late Sunday night. During that awkward conversation Kurumu had confirmed her two classmates were Tengu so she had quickly talked Tobuyoku into lending a hand with Tora’s flight lessons.

Hiboshi had also been absent. Irewata had assured them that her friend was not feeling well and would be coming back to class. The auburn haired fox girl had returned to class yesterday, notably grouchy.

To Kurumu’s surprise, Irewata had attended the same Junior High as Hiboshi and Tomisaki in Myoko. When she had first heard about Meirowasa being in the same class as her childhood friend, Kurumu had figured that was an exception due to them being from Mononoke. Clearly that statement Burumoto had made about mixing people up for the sake of anonymity had been bogus.

Kurumu had pestered him about it, to which he had laughingly admitted not wanting to look completely ignorant to a pretty girl. He had reminded her that he was an out of prefecture, with only two other guys from his hometown in Yokai’s attendance, one being that third year on the soccer team whom he admired. He did have a cousin, Makiba, whom was in Kurumu’s home economics class. She was from the Junior High in the Sekikawa district, which Kurumu was somewhat familiar with.

The only absence that had bothered her was Shirayuki's. After their tense encounter this weekend, she had worried over the possibility of Shirayuki dropping out. She had this nagging feeling that something had happened between Shirayuki and her secret boyfriend. When the quiet girl had returned yesterday, Kurumu had politely said nothing, hoping that everything was okay. Shirayuki was her usual distant self, so perhaps things had all worked out.

A slight knock on the door roused her from her stupor. She realized the alarm had been silenced.

“I have to pee.”

Kurumu got up and opened the door. Yukari quickly pushed around her, fluffing her chemise up as she sat upon the toilet. It was clearly all the witch was wearing as the sound of tinkling greeted Kurumu before she could leave the room.

Kurumu stretched her arms over her head as she wandered about the apartment. She had brought some sleep clothes and a spare uniform, figuring her bag was over by the entrance. She saw yesterday's clothes discarded on the floor next to the bed. They must have kicked the cerulean comforter off.

It was eight minutes before five. Yukari had wanted an extra half hour to not disrupt her normal morning routine. Kurumu still had mixed feelings about taking Yukari's offer. The idea of making Tsukune lunch was wonderful, but it would come at the price of breakfast. Then again, Moka had been honest about the futility of getting up earlier than seven. Short of being the one to drag Tsukune to breakfast, her time with him in the morning was always rushed.

“Kurumu?”

The witch was standing at the door, beckoning to her. The club had yet to figure out what Yukari would write for the club. Ginei was toying with the idea of having her put together some historical school facts article which they would dump on the back page as filler content.

Kurumu wandered back over to Yukari, allowing the girl to seize her by the wrist and tug her back into the bathroom. The shower door was open and it was clear by Yukari's hands that she wanted Kurumu inside.

“What are we doing?”

Yukari shut the bathroom door.

“Sit down.”

“In the shower?”

“It will be the easiest to clean.”

Kurumu eased her tail out as she turned about in the shower. It was a small space, but it was not like she took up that much more room sitting as standing. She frowned as Yukari pulled the silky chemise over her head, placing it in the small sink.

“What are you doing?”

“It would stain.”

Kurumu glanced aside, not wanting to register the details of Yukari's nude figure. The girl stepped over the rise, closing the opaque shower door. The girl turned her tight little butt in Kurumu's face before settling down in Kurumu's lap. Yukari rested her head back on Kurumu's breasts.

“Okay, I'm ready.”

“Yea. If this was a bath and we had water.”

“The double suites have baths but they wouldn't let me have one without a roommate.”

“Would you like a bath, Yukari?”

“They're better than showers.”

Kurumu smiled, running her fingers through Yukari's hair.

“You could have stayed dressed. There was no reason to come in here with me.”

Yukari's small hand reached up to touch her wrist.

“This is fine.”

Kurumu chuckled, glancing at her tail. She opened the spade end, the stigma turning slowly as she eased the end of her tail over to her left ear.

“Any reason why we were both sleeping without panties?”

“You do not want to hear about last night. It would only disturb you.”

“That's not comforting.”

Yukari sighed.

“I don't know what she has you taking, but you were extremely docile and lethargic. It was difficult feeding you and I was too annoyed to dress you after you stripped yourself.”

Kurumu relaxed against the shower wall. She reached up with her left hand, grabbing her tail below the open spade end. She pressed it firmly to her ear, aware now that the stigma pushed in when she did this. It was difficult to move the stigma by itself, let alone with enough force to puncture her lobe.

“She probably gave a bigger dose knowing that I had an escort home.”

Kurumu reached over her head with her other hand, grabbing her tail as she pushed her earlobe about with her left hand.

“She's trying to avoid revealing her true form.”

“Huh?”

“I left a small charm on your keychain figure to spy on your session. You don’t need to worry.”

“But she is teaching me, right?”

“The charm was for visual only. I could not near what was being said.”

“Well… why would I be disturbed?”

“Her true form is intimidating but harmless. Are we going to do this soon?”

Kurumu smiled, resuming her efforts. That felt right. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she felt it push through that sensitive spot. She pulled Yukari in closer, relaxing.

“The transition is almost seamless. If I didn't know what to look for, I would never notice.”

With a thought, they were in a real bath. Warm water enveloped their bodies as she leaned back against a smooth tile wall. Bright lights flooded the large chamber which was divided in two major sections, one being the large bath they were lounging in. The walls of the other section was lined with little alcoves that had shower heads on flexible hoses, stools and towels. They were the only two in the room.

“A memory?”

“When I lived in the human world, Mother and I would come here to bathe. We lived in a small apartment that didn't have a shower.”

“I wonder how time works in here.”

Kurumu chuckled, pulling the bewildered girl back against her. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the water while surrounded by the pleasant aroma of different bath oils.

“We're not here to take a bath, Kurumu.”

Kurumu smiled. She thought about the first time she had brought Yukari into this strange realm, recalling the image of an older Yukari. She felt the girl's body shift in her arms, becoming larger and more womanly.

“It's so real.”

Yukari's hands were moving, caressing herself. Kurumu peered over the girl's shoulder, mildly curious. Yukari was squeezing and pinching her nipples so that they would harden.

“They're even as sensitive as my real ones.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Do you need some time alone?”

Yukari let go of her breasts. She twisted about in Kurumu's arms, her face close. The witch smiled as she let her hands touch Kurumu's sides.

“So how do we get Tsukune here?”

Kurumu sighed. She had sort of mentioned it was possible during their last sleepover after writing her letter to mother. It had been one of those offhand jokes about taking Tsukune in his dreams which the others had quickly dismissed as her usual teasing.

“I guess if we go to his room he might be there. I've only done this once.”

Yukari lifted back, causing Kurumu to let go but the girl quickly grabbed up her hands.

“Get up. We don't have time to waste.”

Kurumu stumbled as she tried to stand. She was shorter than this Yukari, though the witch would not be taller than Moka. She giggled, grabbing Yukari's shoulders for support as the water sloshed about their thighs. Steady, she leaned in to hug the girl, pressing firmly against Yukari.

Yukari relaxed, returning the embrace. The witch sighed.

“You can even feel heartbeats. Yours is almost as fast as mine.”

She could hear drops of water hitting the floor.

“I think mine is faster.”

“Scared that Tsukune will find me more attractive?”

Kurumu snorted out a laugh.

“I'm scared that we're doing something crazy and stupid.”

“It's not real. It's just a dream.”

Kurumu shook her head, rubbing her cheek against Yukari's shoulder.

“Not to us. What if Tsukune tries something?”

Yukari laughed nervously. After a long pause, she pulled back and smiled.

“I think we will be fine.”

Kurumu's thoughts wandered to last weekend and how Tsukune had reacted. He had wanted so much more. She had felt it, craved it. In the real world, his kindness had won out. Would it be the same here?

“Tsukune's a young man. I'm frightened he will lose his inhibitions if he thinks things are just a dream.”

Yukari smiled.

“But it's not real. We're sitting in a shower.”

Kurumu wet her lips, thoughts drifting to last Christmas and the haunted look in Tora's eyes.

“Some things you can't take back, Yukari. Just because it's not happening in the physical world, does not mean it can't hurt.”

A hand caressed her cheek.

“Kurumu. Give us some clothes and let's go see Tsukune.”

Kurumu sighed. She closed her eyes and with a thought moved them to somewhere warm and bright with a fresh breeze. The gust was tinged with the smell of wildflowers as it kicked up her sundress about her thighs. She let go of Yukari, effortlessly breaking free of the witch’s lax grip. She walked into the wind as she stretched her arms overhead.

They were standing in the flower field near the tree that overlooked the sea. The tulips were exactly as they had been this weekend. Yukari sighed.

“This is not Tsukune’s room.”

Kurumu smiled softly. She recalled her last letter from her mother. It was like she could feel her mother’s tears. Are you still my little girl? For some reason that silly question had hurt. Was there anything left of that little girl her mother had adored before the world had turned on its head?

“Isn’t this good enough? You can feel this world with your older body.”

“I don’t need an older body to masturbate. I’ve been doing it a couple years now and I think I got it figured out.”

That was not the direction she had been going, but okay. She turned about, regarding the witch. Yukari was dressed in a matching yellow and white sundress, though hers was a little shorter due to her height.

“Does your mother know about that?”

“And my father. Kurumu… I want to be acknowledged.”

They had mentioned this about Yukari last week while walking to school.

“Yukari, we all understand that. Tora, Moka… even Kana.”

“I want to be acknowledged by Tsukune.”

She was to chaperone. She had full control of this world. Still… she felt uneasy. People could exert their wills here. Kuyo had been able to continue fighting.

“What if this ruins your relationship with Tsukune?”

Yukari laughed, shaking her head. The wind brushed her straight hair across her shoulders.

“What relationship? Are you that worried he might fall in love with me and be willing to wait for my body to catch up to this dream?”

Because once you cross a line, there is no going back.

“What if he can never talk to you the same way again? Never look at you the same way again? Are things that bad now that it has to change?”

Yukari stared at her, eyes unwavering.

“Yes. Even if he never talks to me again.”

The witch smirked.

“Besides. I’m more attached to Moka and you. Losing the friendship of a boy that often patronizes me is worth the risk.”

Kurumu sighed.

“You shouldn’t think like that.”

“Be real, Kurumu. Before I turn sixteen, that boy is going to end up married to Moka or you. Maybe both if he adopts vampire customs.”

Kurumu laughed despite her grim feelings.

“So you think getting dream nasty with the man that will marry one of your best friends is the right course of action?”

Yukari blushed.

“Dating. Dream dating. I’m not going to put out on the first date. What kind of girl do you think I am?”

“A pervert that molests her friends regularly.”

Yukari took a deep breath and held her hands out, palms to the sky.

“Come on. We don’t have all morning and I at least want to enjoy a walk with him. Nothing special.”

A walk did sound safe enough. She did not have any personal walk experiences to draw from, what with Kengamine being small and boring. She did have those steamy videos her mother had watched. A romantic walk along the beach with waves rolling in under the darkness of night with a bright full moon. She could leave out the part where the girl gets taken in the sand.

Steeling her resolve, she walked up to Yukari and clasped her forearms. They were instantly inside Tsukune’s small dorm room, standing next to his closed door. She smiled, noting Tsukune was sprawled on top of his bedding, a hand on his stomach. His white tee had been drawn up to the bottom of his ribs.

“He’s actually here.”

Kurumu shrugged, not understanding how this worked for people outside of her trance. When she had walked about the hospital, she had only found Tsukune. Somehow he had been the only person in her world.

“Do we wake him?”

“The last time I touched him. He woke up without any effort.”

“You should change location the moment he rouses. I would prefer him to think of this visit as a dream.”

Kurumu smiled, supposing she could do that. It would also be nice for him to be wearing something more fitting for a date. She knelt down next to his pillow, reaching out her hand to brush the bangs across his forehead.

As he stirred, they were instantly seated on each side of him in the side bench of a train. The clouds moved across the sky as the train hurtled forwards to an unknown destination. The passenger car was empty. She quickly reached for his hand, entwining her fingers in his before resting it upon his khakis.

“What happened?”

She smiled, leaning her head against the black, silky sleeve of his shirt. It was unbuttoned with a white tee beneath.

“Do you recognize me, Tsukune?”

Tsukune regarded the older girl with a moment of confusion.

“Yukari?”

Yukari’s eyes beamed as she lifted her hands to caress both sides of his face. He flinched, lifting his free hand to sort of ward off an advance.

“Where’s Moka?”

Did this mean he had been dreaming of Moka? That was disappointing.

“Were we meeting Moka somewhere?”

“I don’t know. I…”

“I’m all grown now, Tsukune. Is this better?”

Yukari had caught up his free hand in hers. She was pulling his hand to her bosom. Tsukune gasped, his body tensing as he tried to yank free.

“Yukari! What are you doing?!”

Kurumu nuzzled up against his shoulder. She lifted her head and breathed across his ear.

“Calm down, Tsukune. It will be fine.”

“You say that, but what if my mother walks in on us?!”

They were no longer on the train. She was sitting on a bed next to him, Yukari still on his other side. She let go of his hand, confused. There was nothing familiar about this room.

A thick black sheet was drawn over the bed. A window with a white sill was on her right. On the other side of the window pushed up into the other corner of the room was a black writing desk. A silver CRT television was centered on the desk against the white wall, cords hooked to a Play Station 2. A handful of games were haphazardly stacked about the desk. A black stool with a white cushion tied to the seat was pushed under the desk.

She looked beyond the bewildered Yukari to note a closet door with a poster for SOAP on it. A brown dresser four shelves high was pushed against the wall next to a door that opened out to the hallway. A digital alarm clock and a pair of model cars were perched upon the dresser.

“Kurumu?”

“Let me see if we have some tea or something.”

Tsukune got up and quickly hurried out of the room. She could hear the sound of his footsteps hurrying down a flight of stairs.

Kurumu slowly got up, glancing about. Yukari slouched back on her elbows, fetching a pillow to tuck behind her head before lying down. With a thought, Kurumu changed the color of Yukari’s sundress to black, while turning hers red. She also added matching anklets with bells on both of them.

“What is going on?”

“I’m not sure. I think this is his house.”

“Okay, but why did you bring us here? I thought we agreed to a long walk on the beach.”

“As soon as he comes back, I’ll take care of it.”

She felt she could do that. The train had been her idea. She might have pulled this room from his thoughts. That was possible, right? She heard his approaching footsteps up the stairs.

“I’m sorry it took so long. I don’t know what happened, but it looks like my parents went out.”

He walked in, holding a tray with a kettle and three cups. His eyes passed over them, his gaze settling upon Yukari whom was stretched upon the bed. The short sundress had pulled dangerously up her torso and his angle gave him an eyeful. Kurumu was suddenly aware that she had no lingerie beneath this dress. He swallowed as he walked further into the room, kneeling down in front of his dresser to set the tray upon the floor.

Kurumu decided it best to kneel down across the tray from him. She smoothed out her sundress for his sake, smiling kindly to him. His attention was to the bed. With a glance, she could see that Yukari was the same as her. It would be hard for Tsukune not to acknowledge Yukari as an adult with that view.

The pillow thumped against the wall out of view before Yukari crawled out of his bed. The witch placed a hand on Kurumu’s shoulder, holding the other one to Tsukune.

“Shall we go on that walk?”

Kurumu smiled as she forced the surroundings to change in the blink of an eye. They were now seated upon a beach towel spread out beneath a blue and white striped umbrella. The waves rolled in slowly with the sun setting off in the blue horizon. The ocean scent wafted in with the gentle breeze.

They now were wearing bikini tops with sarongs tied about their waists, similar to those she had seen in fashion mags. Yukari’s was a dark cherry red and her sarong had the white and red print of the Tokyo rising sun, while Kurumu’s had a lush green top with a yellow and green striped sarong. The underside of hers was melon pink with black dots. Tsukune was topless wearing a pair of orange swimming trunks that loosely fit him.

“I suppose we can.”

He picked himself up. Once standing, he held a hand down to her. She smiled over to the pouting Yukari, taking his offer.

They walked down the beach, each of them holding a hand. For what felt like a good five or so minutes they said nothing. The cool breeze brushed against her skin, causing it to prickle and her hair to flutter. The sand felt warm and yielding beneath her feet. She squeezed his hand.

“This is nice.”

“It’s too bad Moka couldn’t be here.”

Yukari giggled.

“You shouldn’t talk about other girls when you’re on a date.”

Tsukune laughed.

“It doesn’t quite feel like a date when I’m with both of you.”

“Kurumu has to be here or you would do naughty things to me.”

Kurumu smirked, feeling the reverse was equally true.

“You’re definitely not a little kid anymore.”

“I haven’t been a little kid for as long as I’ve known you, Tsukune. Little, but never a kid.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to do, Yukari?”

“Skinny dipping.”

Kurumu snorted.

“Anything legal?”

Yukari tugged on Tsukune’s arm, pulling him closer to the shore.

“Come on. There’s nobody here.”

Tsukune looked towards the land with concern.

“I’m not sure we should.”

“That’s not exactly first date stuff, Yukari.”

“It’s not like I’m going to kiss him or anything. Just for a few minutes.”

The girl reached over her back with her free hand to pull at the strings holding the knot of her top together. With a sharp tug, the knot gave and the cherry garment fluttered to the sand at her feet.

“Wait up, Yukari!”

Yukari paused when they reached the edge of where the sand was darker from the water. She let go of Tsukune’s hand to fumble with the strings of her sarong. It was not long for Yukari to free herself of the last garment clinging about her. Having no bottoms to these swimsuits, Yukari gave a playful shout as she rushed out to the water, the waves licking around her calves.

His hand now free absently moved to the hem of his trunks as he glanced back over his shoulder. His trunks bulged from his reaction to seeing a girl prance about in the nude, beckoning them to join her.

Kurumu sighed, supposing she could humor the girl. She let go of Tsukune’s hand, reaching back to pull both string ends. The top fell off and then she loosened the bindings at her hip. She was thinking that these swimsuits should have had matching bottoms, but no point fretting about it now.

Two fingers traced down her cheek, turning her face up. He was standing in front of her, staring at her with his rich brown eyes. She smiled, realizing that she could actually see him without worry of her allure. She was so accustomed to avoiding eye contact that she had forgotten it did not matter here.

The kiss caught her off guard. She whimpered at first, letting go of the strings at her hip. The garment slipped down to her ankles as he leaned into her, his head moving, his tongue pressing against her lips.

She whimpered again, closing her eyes as her lips parted. She reached about his waist, unable to use him for support. She felt like she was about to topple backwards as he pressed more against her, his tongue moving firmly inside her mouth. He knelt down, letting her ease to the sand before finally lifting his head up for a sharp breath of air.

She felt light headed and dizzy. She gently touched her head while her other hand limply rested at her breast. He shifted over her, a knee forcing her legs apart.

“Wait.”

Where was Yukari? She was still on the beach, right? No. That was a white ceiling she was staring up at in her daze and this was a bed she was lying on. Her other leg was hefted up by the underside of her thigh as he settled between her legs.

“Yukari?”

“She’s taking a shower.”

She could hear the sounds of a shower somewhere outside of his room. They were in his room. What?

She gasped in sharply as he pushed inside her. She mewled, her back arching as she became desperately aware how close she was to climax. This was more amazing than the sex dreams that often visited her. She felt everything. In a couple thrusts her body was convulsing on him. She knew he would soon follow.

Kurumu groaned as her head ached horribly. A piteous whimper echoed hers as the tiny girl in her lap brought both her hands up to her temples. Her tail smacked the shower wall, spade end closing as reddish brown fluids spurted out the tip, staining everything in the shower compartment.

“This hurts.”

Kurumu nodded, swallowing sharply. Her pain was mixed with pleasure, as her body had genuinely orgasmed from that dream. That had never happened before.

“What happened? I was on a beach, then a hot shower and now here. And my head hurts so fucking much.”

Kurumu reached over to rub her hands against Yukari’s. She could not relax. Her body was twitching and her head was pounding. She thought about turning on the water, but doubted she could muster the strength to stand.

“I think he woke up.”

Kurumu managed a smile, hoping he would not mind the mess in his sheets.

* * *

Yukari had been late to school. Well… both of them had been, but Kurumu being late, missing school and being a delinquent was kind of expected at this point. Ten minutes was not the end of the world, but Ms. Nekonome's playful jab about repeating the school year had hit hard.

By the time they had showered up and dressed it had been twenty after six. Refusing to back out of her promise, Yukari had helped her cook lunch for the four of them, while preparing breakfast. The taste test had confirmed hers would be good, but damn did Yukari know how to make a meal. That breakfast had been divine for simple eggs and rice. Asking how Yukari had managed such amazing results had turned into a scientific exposition. It had been best to simply nod and feign understanding.

The witch had been helping her mother with meals for over three years. She had brought a set of nine different colored bento boxes, which she switched around on a daily basis despite refusing to leave a dirty dish in her sink overnight.

Kurumu had chatted with her friends between classes, mostly over how Moka could possibly manage without her. It was obvious the glowing Moka had taken a nip of Tsukune, given how pale and haggard he had looked the first couple periods. His drained condition had not escaped Ms. Kagome's notice, the teacher playfully stating he needed to stay awake of he might fall behind.

Most teachers were content to give their lectures from the podium, but it seemed like Ms. Kagome was starting to enjoy roaming the aisles. Kurumu would have sworn she had done something wrong with how Ms. Kagome had hovered near her all of Monday.

She had passed today's algebra quiz, so maybe those lessons were working. While 56 was not something to brag about, it was better than the low thirties that she had been averaging the first month. Of course Moka had knocked out a 92, but Tsukune had only managed a 64. She simply had to remind Moka that she had more in common with Tsukune.

Tsukune had given no indication that he remembered the dream from this morning. Kurumu decided against asking about his dreams, doubted her ability to do such without incriminating herself. At least he was talking with her like nothing had happened.

She scribbled another English phrase in her notebook, glancing at the watch on her wrist. It looked like Mr. Nagamushi was going to talk all the way up to the bell.

Kurumu glanced across the classroom to the seat near the door in the front. The raven haired Tora had her hair fixed up in her usual braids. The class rep had been spending her past three lunches with what remained of the student police. While it might have been initially related to the article, Kurumu suspected Tora was exploiting the PSC privilege of skipping the long lunch line. Kurumu felt too uneasy around the mischievous Deshi during their breakfast talks to consider accompanying Tora.

Her eyes wandered over to the back corner, noting Nerume was sprawled over her desk with her ponytail hanging off the side. As usual the girl faced the wall as she brazenly snoozed through the lecture. Mildly disappointed, Kurumu wondered what sort of expressions crossed her friend's face.

She had lunched with Nerume and her friend, Unari, on Tuesday. They had reminded her about talking with Meirowasa for the drinking thing this weekend. The PSC trainee had been reluctant about the whole idea, wanting to get her mother's permission before agreeing to anything. Hopefully Meirowasa would have some news today, since the local girl had forgotten to ask her mother the day before.

Shirayuki was staring at her. Kurumu smiled, turning a page in her notebook. She scrawled a short message on the corner of the sheet, scooting the notepad over to the edge for Shirayuki to see. The girl glanced it over as the bell sounded the end of the hour.

“Later.”

Mizore. She had cheated by asking Ms. Hitori for the girl's name on Monday, concerned that the girl had not shown up even for Home Ec. She had pointedly used the Hiragana in her short message, which she remembered was the correct way to spell Shirayuki's name. She had no idea if that later was an agreement to talk or if it simply acknowledged she would see her later. Kurumu sighed.

“Kurumu.”

She turned to Moka smiling. Slipping out of her desk, she scooted it over to touch against Moka's. Tsukune was turning his desk about to face theirs. Most of their classmates were heading out the doors.

“I've been wondering, but what do you girls do at Yukari's?”

Kurumu glanced at Moka and shrugged.

“Probably not much different than what guys would do.”

Tsukune touched his temple, shaking his head.

“I kind of doubt that. We might play some video games or watch a movie, but by eleven or so we are all back in our own rooms. It's not like any of us would sleep in another guy's room.”

Moka frowned.

“I don't think we are doing anything strange.”

“Says the vampire whose either sleeping or being molested by Yukari.”

She smiled as Moka blushed. She felt the warm surge of Tsukune's desire, aware how he secretly enjoyed Moka's reactions to Yukari's antics. She glanced over to the door, assuming the witch would be joining them soon. Yukari had the satchel with all their lunches.

“That’s because none of you stop her!”

Yukari walked into view with Unari by her side. Unari’s sienna ear tufts wagged with irritation as the girl forced a smile. Unari waved and moved over to poke Nerume’s shoulder as Yukari strolled across the room to them.

“We aren’t doing anything like that!”

Kurumu smirked at Tsukune’s protest, having seen some of Zukkutani’s sketches yesterday. Their illustrator did not have an issue with crossing the line of conventional relationships.

“Aw, you’re breaking poor Kana’s heart.”

Tsukune’s flush face darkened a deeper shade of red, also aware of the things their quiet blonde doodled. He got up from his seat, shaking his head as he grabbed up the vacant seat in front of hers and turned it about.

Yukari glanced over her shoulder as Nerume finally responded to Unari’s prodding. She absently set the white satchel down on Kurumu’s desk as Tsukune finished arranging the desk. She turned back to them and smiled, unzipping the top flap of the insulated bag.

“Are you pestering Ms. Unari to talk to me?”

“Maybe.”

“Don’t. She doesn’t want to.”

“You need to socialize more with your classmates, Yukari.”

“I’m fine.”

She pulled out the periwinkle bento with the white daisy petal pattern first, handing it over to Kurumu. She retrieved the faded pink bento with the red hearts riding on white clouds next, holding it out for Moka.

“Do you think what we do at sleepovers is weird, Yukari?”

“We don’t do anything.”

She handed the black bento dotted with cherry blossoms over to Tsukune before setting aside the white bento with the red bird hovering above the blue rose on the empty desk. She moved the satchel to the floor, taking her seat.

“Tora did your hair.”

Tsukune chuckled, opening his bento. Each bento had three compartments. The large compartment was stuffed with a cheese, green onion and sausage omelet. Kurumu had sliced up some carrots for one of the side compartments while the last held a decent serving of rice.

“That’s something guys wouldn’t do.”

Yukari shrugged as she bowed her head to give thanks for the meal. Everyone else quickly followed suit.

After a couple bites, Kurumu stared absently at the chunk of omelet in her sticks. It had tasted better this morning when it had been warmer.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been friends with anybody before.”

Kurumu smiled, reaching over to rub Moka’s shoulder.

“I doubt anyone in our group is an expert on normal friend behavior.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”

Kurumu shrugged, returning to her meal. It did not take that long to polish off the rest of her omelet before moving on to her rice.

“Kurumu made the meal so if anyone gets sick, you can blame her.”

Kurumu snorted, not feeling in the mood to comment on that. Her mind was still lingering on how she felt about her behavior around the other girls. Tora had called it excessively clingy, which it was. Because this made her feel closer, something she had not felt in years.

“Tsukune. If you could take three people with you to anywhere you wanted over summer break, whom would you take?”

There was a pause as he considered his answer. She favored Yukari with a smile, thinking she had a good idea what he would say.

“I guess it would depend on where I was taking these three.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“In general. Any place.”

“I guess I would take Moka, you and Kamitsuku.”

That was somewhat unexpected, but reasonable. Yamabato was their classmate and lived on his floor.

Yukari huffed.

“I would take Moka. The other two don’t matter.”

Kurumu giggled, shaking her head.

“I don’t know how I could choose. I know I’d want to be with Tsukune, but the other two would be hard for me to decide. I’d be too worried about hurting someone’s feelings.”

Tsukune laughed.

“I know what you mean. What about you, Kurumu?”

She smiled, regarding his shoulder to avoid the nuisance of her charm.

“I suppose I would take Moka, Yukari and Tora.”

She could feel his disappointment, smiling softly.

“If it was just one, I’d take my boyfriend.”

Moka sighed, but did not bother to correct when Kurumu glanced at her.

“But with three, I’d prefer the group that would be most comfortable.”

Tsukune grinned.

“I guess the three of you are close, though I don’t think that would be comfortable for Moka.”

“Are you implying that I make my Moka uncomfortable?”

Yukari brandished two glowing fingers menacingly at Tsukune.

Kurumu grinned as she let her gaze wander over to the front of the class. She had noticed this in the first couple weeks, but none of their classmates came back here for lunch. She had an idea where half of them were either by observation or being told.

Her interest perked up as a familiar black haired woman stepped through the open front door. Her thin lips turned up as her slender eyes spied them. Unlike the male student police jackets, her black, short sleeved outfit had a collar that wrapped tightly about her neck with a white zipper that slashed down in the center before angling down above her right breast. The line continued to her side before it went straight down. The jacket had three rows of two buttons fastened in the front, though they did not appear to serve any functional purpose.

Behind Lady Hineri, the new leader of the student police, stood two young men that were vaguely familiar. They had been present during the confrontation a week ago, but she had not seen them since. One was taller than most of the boys on the basketball team. He had short, unruly black locks and a long face divided by a broad nose with large nostrils.

The other young man was much shorter, but he still towered over Lady Hineri and was twice as robust. His ashen hair was feathered at the sides and trimmed neatly in the back. His angular face was sharp with unmistakably golden eyes peering around a hawkish nose.

Kurumu rapped her knuckle on her desk before pointing her finger in the direction of the approaching trio. Taking note of them, Yukari turned in her seat with her arms crossed about her torso.

The Lady Hineri halted at the empty desk nearest them. She let her arms rest at her sides, wrists touching her hips as she bowed her head in deference.

“My apologies first. For a moment, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me. It was never my intent to directly bring harm to your club members.”

Kurumu smirked as Yukari huffed indignantly.

“I don’t know what happened, but I am glad that you are no longer in the hospital. I know Yukari was worried over that.”

Yukari blushed.

“No I wasn’t!”

Lady Hineri leaned back, cupping her elbow beneath her breasts as she held her other hand limply beneath her chin.

“I don’t wish any further trouble with your club. Quite the contrary. You were instrumental in removing that tyrant whom I’ve put up with for the past two years.”

Kurumu smirked.

“All according to plan?”

Lady Hineri rolled her eyes.

“Not exactly. But a club that consists of a werewolf, vampire and sphinx is not one to be trifled with.”

“Aren’t you forgetting the succubus and witch that defeated you?”

“What on earth are you talking about? You just happened upon me when I was having a seizure.”

Yukari snorted. That was the story the other Moka had suggested to the woman, though they had not been able to sell it what with Yukari’s injury.

Ginei stealthily wandered in through the front door, eyeing the unsuspecting trio as he approached.

“So what brings you here, Lady Hineri?”

“Apologies and invitations. But first, allow me to introduce Kusutate Tsuya.”

She gestured to the ashen haired man on her left. She then gestured to the other on her right.

“And this is Utsubari Shun. I understand you have already met Lord Koike and Lord Sabaku.”

“We have.”

Kurumu gestured for Ginei to come over. This caught Lady Hineri’s attention, whom smiled upon noting their club president.

“Mr. Morioka. I thank you for your decision to assist us in our recruitment efforts. The discipline and pride of our school is an important feeling to instill upon those that attend our beloved academy.”

Ginei slinked over to Burumoto’s vacant seat, leaning against it. He thrust one hand in his pocket as the other drifted to the back of his head.

“Is there something you are needing?”

“Members. I was hoping to extend an offer to any of your club to join our cause. Just as taking in Ms. Meirowasa was an excellent decision to rebuild our relations with the outcasts, I was hoping you could spare one of yours. Of course, our club does have academic standards such as scoring above eighty percent for their exams.”

Kurumu smirked, aware this ruled her out. She recalled Tsukune was exactly at the eighty percent mark, but doubted he would jump at such an opportunity.

“I refuse the offer.”

Lady Hineri smiled at the indignant Yukari.

“I shall contain my disappointment. And you, Ms. Akashiya?”

“I would prefer to remain in this club.”

“You could technically do both. There are only conflicts when the second club is an organized sport.”

Ginei smirked.

“It sounds like you won’t find any takers here. Tora is their class rep, and there’s a clause against that. And I have a feeling you would not be interested in taking Kana off our hands.”

“Technically the clause is about the student council, but I’m sure the council would encourage her to step down if she did take our offer. It’s not like the class rep is a fixed position that can’t be renegotiated whenever the class feels it would be appropriate.”

“All the same, I think you are done here.”

Lady Hineri smiled, her eyes flickering to his hand in his pocket.

“What is it you have there?”

Ginei shrugged as he pulled on the black cord while withdrawing his hand. The yellow omamori charm with the red flame pattern dangled by the cord. He reached over to Tsukune, tapping his shoulder with the back of his hand.

“Just some good luck charm Ms. Yoshino reminded me to give Tsukune.”

Lady Hineri frowned as Tsukune took the charm, confused.

“What is that woman thinking?”

Yukari slipped out of her seat, glancing at Tsukune before turning her gaze upon Lady Hineri.

“Do you know whom that belongs to?”

The woman grinned, a tinge of mischief in her eyes. She slinked around Yukari, placing a hand on the desk as she leaned closer to the boys. She stared at Ginei before turning her attention to Tsukune, reaching up with her other hand to cup his chin.

“This belongs to the victor, Mr. Aono. It is tempting to take this from you.”

Tsukune pulled away, clutching the cord to his chest, the charm dangling against his belly.

“I don’t understand.”

The woman straightened up, favoring them with a smile. She turned about, gesturing for the two young men to accompany her as she departed.

“A word of advice, Mr. Aono. Don’t lose.”

* * *

Making frosting and applying it to the cake they had baked yesterday was not a time consuming task. Ms. Hitori had only herself to blame for the excess frosting that ended up everywhere but the cake. Did she honestly think they would quietly behave while she read her magazine oblivious to her students? She was lucky they only had so much frosting.

Meirowasa Tokori wore the same sleeveless style of jacket as Deshi with the long coattails that skirted the back of her knees. Unlike Deshi whom usually wore a tight fitting black capris pant, Meirowasa often switched up what she wore for her bottoms. Today she was trying out a pair of black spandex that cut off at the top of her calves. The white band signifying her authority was tied tightly about her left arm about her elbow like a bandage.

Meirowasa was the second tallest girl in their group at the wraparound station at the far end of the home ec room closest to the pantry and cooler. Their two groups shared an island counter which they often used as it was the largest amount of counter space. They also shared a two compartment sink, which often made dishes a difficult chore.

Kurumu was the shortest, though Meirowasa only had her by nine cm, which was less than her difference with Moka. It was difficult to say if the girl's hair was white peppered black or vice versa, as she had so many alternating strands, some changing color as they fell down to brush across her shoulders. Only texture gave away the bits of frosting that had found their way into her shaggy tresses.

One of the quieter girls of their group, Meirowasa was grinning as she wielded her frosted spatula against the clingy redhead. The slightly shorter Sakamori cared little about the threats, clutching the fabric of Meirowasa's jacket as she staggered in close, wagging her silver flask at her captive.

“Fun wif me. I take good care.”

Kurumu chuckled from across the counter. Technically the curly haired Sakamori was part of her group, but the clingy drunk often wandered about the two stations, pestering Meirowasa the most because she had mentioned familiarity with the shojo species. At least Sakamori did not roam about the class like she did in gym.

A dollop of cool frosting smacked Kurumu's cheek. Her antagonist was the feisty blonde whom was the shortest of group fourteen, which was about the same height as Sakamori. The blonde grinned as she spooned out another chunk of goo from the bowl she clutched protectively to her chest.

“How have you not run out yet?”

Shindou Asuka had seized up the bowl a couple minutes into their play, declaring herself the frosting fairy whom would sprinkle joy upon them. Half the time when she shook her spatula at them, the sticky missiles ended up everywhere but her intended target. The blonde had tagged herself as much as any of them, even managing to get some in her short, jagged hair.

Asuka deepened her voice to make an evil laugh. She pulled out the spatula, rolling her wrist as her blue eyes sparkled with flashes of white.

“This is what happens to dirty, shameless girls. Now be quiet and accept my gift of white, sticky joy.”

Kurumu smirked as the blonde flicked the spatula, watching the chunk sail off to the side to strike that hollow above the sternum of the seated Shirayuki. It had almost hit the golden locket Shirayuki wore about her neck. Shirayuki glanced up from her notebook with her sapphire eyes, touching the tip of the white stick nestled in her lips.

Asuka sheepishly grinned, placing the spatula back in the bowl to rub the back of her head.

“Sorry.”

Kurumu suspected if the tall Taijin was not part of their group, Asuka would have taken the offer to join them this weekend. Tokori had let her know at the start of the class that things were fine with her mother as long as they kept quiet. She had an eight year old half-brother whom usually turned in by nine, so they could do what they wanted after that. There was no father figure for them to worry about.

Asuka's junior high friend, Taijin, stood almost a full twenty cm taller than Tokori. The quiet track girl had dark brown hair that flopped over the sides of her head like the ears of a dog. The girl had assured her that her true form was not canine related and Asuka had respectfully agreed not to tell.

“So what is your mother like, Tokori?”

Kurumu smiled, still getting used to the name. Meirowasa had a spatula in one hand and Sakamori's flask in the other. The redhead was snuggling up against the girl, arms wrapped about Tokori's torso.

“She's a hard worker.”

“Is she also a waitress?”

Tokori rolled those caramel eyes.

“No. She's a nurse at the local hospital. She works a late shift, so she can homeschool my brother during the afternoon.”

Kurumu perked up.

“We'll be home alone?”

“She leaves after eight and works a simple nine to five. Don't forget I have a little brother. I'm sure he will be riled up with so many people around.”

“I wonder what it’s like having a younger brother. My brother is five years older than me and pretends like I don’t exist.”

“Don’t lie. He used to dote on you all the time.”

“Yea, and then he came to Yokai and I saw him like a couple months out of the year. Now he’s run off to Doshisha University in Kyoto for no good reasons. There are plenty of closer universities that offered degrees in his field of interest, and would have been cheaper too.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Maybe he tired of your frosting fairy ways.”

Asuka grinned.

“Hey, Hinoko. Do you have any siblings?”

Sakamori relaxed her grip, lolling her head back to regard Asuka.

“Nope. Only me.”

“Can you go hug Kurumu? You’re getting frosting all over my uniform.”

Sakamori had several frosting trails smeared across her green jacket and a couple splotches in her curly hair. With Asuka hoarding the frosting bowl, Kurumu and Tokori had only the bit of frosting on their spatulas to fight with, most of which had been turned on the clingy redhead.

Kurumu set her spatula down on the counter and gestured for Sakamori to come over. The redhead let go of Tokori and smiled. She wandered over to Kurumu, her heterochromatic eyes glazed over. Kurumu reached out to pull the girl the last couple steps, cradling the girl’s head as she felt arms wrap about her torso. Sakamori was gentler when they let her be close.

“Any siblings for the seductress?”

“No, but Mizore has two younger brothers.”

Asuka grinned, wandering a step closer to the girl seated on the floor in the corner. She wagged a spatula threateningly.

“You’ve been holding out on me. It’s selfish to keep two younger brothers. You should give one to me.”

Shirayuki continued scribbling in her notebook, not bothering to look up.

“They aren’t Raiji.”

“I’m not that picky when it comes to a little brother.”

Shirayuki shrugged, content with ignoring the girl. Tokori chuckled.

“Is she a shotacon?”

Kurumu shrugged, unfamiliar with the term.

“If so, I’m not sure I would want her around my little brother.”

Kurumu smiled, stroking her fingers through Sakamori’s curls.

“She’s not coming anyways.”

“She did tell her brother that she would marry him when she grew up.”

Asuka turned about, promptly tossing the spatula at her tall friend.

“That was more than six years ago. I think we can all agree that I’m not thinking like that now.”

“What about summer break?”

“We don’t know he’s coming back for summer break. My next news about him could be an invite to his wedding.”

“Is Taijin an only child?”

“She has a little sister two years younger.”

“She’s not as little as you.”

Asuka waved her hand dismissively.

“If everyone is finished with their cakes, you should start washing up. You may leave early as long as you don’t disturb the other classes in session.”

Ms. Hitori was regarding the white watch on her wrist before turning her attention back to her fashion magazine. The woman had her reddish locks shaved short about the sides with the top somewhat long in a pixie style while the back was gathered up into a single ponytail cinched at the nape of her slender neck. She had a yellow blouse today beneath a crimson jacket.

They had already sliced up the small cake and stowed it in containers to take home. It was way too much for three girls to eat, especially when one would rather drink and the other was busy writing random thoughts. There had been too much for the three containers, so she hoped Ms. Hitori would not notice the extra two she had taken out. She could leave them with Moka or Tsukune before Ms. Kagome whisked her away for those special lessons.

“Do you want to stick around for dishes, or go to gym?”

Sakamori groaned.

“Gym already? Thash no fun.”

Asuka dropped the frosting bowl into the sink, grinning.

“Have you been following the boards?”

Kurumu shrugged, aware that the results of each match were being posted on the door of the coaches’ office. She knew Asuka’s class were undefeated, only because the girl boasted about it daily.

“There’s only five undefeated teams with two games remaining. I’m so excited.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is when we’re one of the five teams. The only first year team left standing. Two more games and we can have that party.”

Kurumu shrugged, not really caring. They were like four and four or five and three. She honestly did not remember. She spent most of her gym hour talking with Nerume and Tora about random stuff.

Nerume was always alert and active during gym, so it bothered her to be thrown to the sidelines partly because she was the shortest girl in their class. Even with Hiboshi’s absence, the girls had put Natsudera in before considering Nerume. This was not being mean. Nerume was bad at volleyball. She had good hustle, but that was it.

“It’s four teams now.”

“Huh?”

Tokori gestured to the three girls at station sixteen.

“The trio of volleyball girls from class six beat class 2-7. We only have one undefeated team left in our gym hour.”

Only two of those girls at station sixteen were in volleyball, but Kurumu was aware that Makiba, Burumoto’s cousin, from station thirteen was the third. It was surprising that a team that had half of its players as actual volleyball players had lost a game, let alone two, but it sounded like one of those losses was a fluke and that the class 3-5 team was outstanding despite not having any volleyball players.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Asuka. The two teams you play next are both good. Class 3-3 has only lost to Class 3-2, the other undefeated team from our gym period.”

“Isn’t that even better?! The most important games coming down to the very end. That’s awesome!”

Class 3-3 was the team they had played yesterday. Despite Hiboshi’s return, they had been stomped. And this squad led by Kettou from the track team was not even in the same league as Class 3-2. That team had two seniors from the volleyball team. They were rolling over all opposition like clockwork.

“I hope you guys do better than us. Class 3-3 is tall. Like the shortest one on the team is taller than Moka.”

“Size isn’t everything.”

Kurumu shrugged, aware that was true but it was not like height was the only reason that team was playing well. She absently patted Sakamori’s head.

“Are you doing dishes, or gym?”

Sakamori groaned piteously.

“Fine. Gym.”

“Does either of you young ladies wish to escort her to gym?”

Monday this silly girl had wandered off. According to Taijin, the girl had not made it back for last period.

“I can take her today if Yuu carries the containers. Do you mind doing our dishes? There’s not much.”

Kurumu shrugged and nodded.

“Okay, then come here, you tipsy gypsy.”

Asuka walked over before Sakamori could detach from Kurumu. The blonde grinned as she tugged the girl by the arm. The girl whined a moment before slinging her arms about Asuka’s neck. The blonde grunted under the sudden weight, her breath rasping out.

“It’s like we’re passing around a supersized koala.”

Kurumu giggled at the thought, shaking her head. Taijin had gathered up three containers, holding them close to her chest.

“Are you heading out, Tokori?”

“I’m in no rush.”

They both walked over to the sink as the other three girls made their way to the door. Kurumu turned on the faucet, squirting a bit of soap into the basin. She did not need to fill the whole basin. Waiting only for the suds to start forming, she reached down to grab a spatula and a sponge.

“How are things with the PSC?”

“Hard to say. We haven’t done anything but eat lunch together. I heard that Lady Hineri has returned to school, so we will have our first club meeting today. I guess that means no Sadou today.”

“Is a club for tea ceremony that interesting?”

“It’s relaxing and I get to hang out with Mikomi.”

Kurumu smiled, aware that was Ms. Sawayaka’s first name. She had spoken a little with the elegant beauty at station eight, and this affection of Tokori’s was unrequited. Ms. Sawayaka acknowledged Meirowasa was an acquaintance and nothing more. The subtle way in which she pronounced her words gave Kurumu this impression that she wished to be left alone.

She turned off the faucet. Having already finished the spatulas, setting them aside in the other sink, Kurumu started working on the bowl.

“I’m glad you’re doing this with us on the weekend.”

Tokori leaned in to turn the faucet back on to wet a rag. Turning it off, she dabbed the rag against the white smears on her uniform.

“I hope she behaves herself around my family. I don’t want to explain to my mother why we have a shojo girl with us.”

Kurumu shrugged.

“I guess she might send us home.”

“Naw, she probably would give her a shot of the strong stuff to knock Sakamori out. She may be a shojo, but I doubt she has much experience with strong alcohol. My mother could easily drink her under the table and still function at work.”

Kurumu smiled as she reached back over to the island to fetch the cake pans and the cutting knife.

“We could still do a sleepover. Do you have things for us to do like music, games or books?”

Tokori nodded as she wetted down a white streak. She reached over to rinse out the rag and try again. It probably would not be a good idea to have any stains on her jacket for her first official club meeting with the PSC.

“Whatever happens it will be fun. These girls, Nerume and Satsuki, are both nice. I’m sure you can make friends with them if you want.”

Tokori chuckled.

“I’m already juggling two clubs and a weekend job. I’d feel bad trying to make friends with a couple girls I don’t have any time for.”

“I suppose that’s fair.”

“Did she get any on my back?”

Tokori turned about, reaching behind her neck to fluff her hair out. There were three notable fingerprints at the center of her back.

“Yea, let me get that.”

Taking the rag from Tokori, Kurumu carefully removed the white smears from the black garment. Figuring it was as good as it was going to get, she dropped the rag into the sink and went back to work on the cake pans.

“You sure you don’t need any help?”

Kurumu chuckled, gesturing to the small pile of dishes in the rinse sink.

“There’s barely anything here.”

“Okay, well… I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Tokori placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing once before moving over to retrieve her schoolbag from the corner of the countertop. Slinging it over her head she headed out.

“See you, Tokori.”

It looked like more than half of the class had filtered off to their next class. Those that remained probably did not have gym, so there was not much fun returning to an empty classroom like Tokori was doing. Shirayuki was still doing her thing, though that was not a surprise. The girl had never participated in gym.

She drained the dishwater from the sink and quickly rinsed what she had set aside in the other sink. Grabbing a towel from one of the drawers, she pulled the bowl out to dry it.

“It’s good that you came back to school, Mizore. I was a little worried after what happened this weekend.”

Shirayuki glanced up from her notebook. She tilted her head aside, their eyes meeting as she hung her pen by the small cord that marked the page. She moved her right hand to her side as if she was petting an imaginary dog.

“Sit.”

Kurumu glanced at the dishes. The chore could wait. She set the towel and dish aside, moving over to Shirayuki and sitting beside the girl. She leaned back against the counter, aware that they could see nobody from this vantage. The girls from station sixteen had already left.

“Mr. Aono is your boyfriend, right?”

Kurumu sighed. She knew this had been discussed in their group, but Shirayuki was privy to how Tsukune acted around Moka.

“Yes, he is.”

“Why do you let Ms. Akashiya be so close to him?”

Kurumu forced a smile.

“I can’t help it that he’s popular. It means you have a good guy if other girls are interested in him.”

Shirayuki touched the tip of her white stick as she leaned her head back.

“Would it not be easier if she disappeared?”

“No!”

Kurumu cringed at her volume. Shaking her head, she scooted in closer so her shoulder touched against the chilly girl.

“I don’t want to think like that, Mizore. If Moka disappeared, I would be losing a precious friend.”

“You don’t have problems making friends, Kurumu.”

Did it look like that? Maybe. It did not feel that way.

“Is something wrong, Mizore?”

The girl shrugged, pulling away from her to sit tighter to the corner.

“How far have you gone with Mr. Aono?”

“I tried having sex with him.”

“Is that normal?”

“Isn’t it? When you love someone, you should want to make love to them.”

“I guess.”

Kurumu sighed. It probably was more normal for a guy to push than it was for a girl.

“Did your boyfriend try to have sex with you?”

“Yes.”

“Did you?”

“No.”

“Is everything okay, Mizore?”

A slight crystal had formed at the corner of Shirayuki’s right eye.

“Is everything okay with you?”

No, not really. She was getting by because somehow they had salvaged the status quo.

“I’m still his girlfriend.”

Shirayuki smiled forlornly.

“He must be an amazing guy.”

“He is.”

Kurumu could feel the air about her rapidly lose temperature.

“I don’t think he will ever talk to me again.”

Her breath came out in small white clouds as a layer of frost materialized on the floor and counters around them. Impulsively she grabbed Shirayuki by her blouse, hauling the girl up against her. Her cheek was colder than ice, causing Kurumu to gasp in shock as she folded the girl in a painful embrace.

“No!”

She was shoved harshly back, a wall of ice shooting up between them. The ice slammed up against the ceiling, swinging around to enclose the girl in a box. Shirayuki pulled her knees up, hiding her head as she sobbed.

“That’s enough fooling around you two.”

Ms. Hitori walked over, shaking her head.

“Ms. Kurono. Please go to your next class. I shall handle our little ice princess.”

“But Ms. Hitori. She’s crying. I was only going to hold her.”

The woman glanced at her, hazel eyes flashing gold for a moment.

“You’ll only aggravate her. A yuki’onna cannot be comforted. She’ll kill you, which will make her feel worse.”

Kurumu shook her head, confused.

“What?”

“Run along, Ms. Kurono. Unless you absolutely want to watch this girl cry till she loses her consciousness.”

She hated this feeling, but knew Ms. Hitori was someone she could trust. Gritting her teeth, she walked away. She hoped the teacher would not mention all the dishes and containers she was leaving behind. A pity. That would have been a good cake for sharing.


	2. Troubled Song

Kurumu smiled as she approached Tora’s door, noting it was resting on its deadbolt. Before she arrived at her destination, a tall brunette slipped out of room 203 across the hall, clutching a yellow towel to her bosom and holding a yellow caddy full of shower things in her free hand. Dangai sheepishly smiled, her chestnut hued wings flexing closer to her body. Some dull feathers fluttered to the floor.

“Sorry. I’ll clean these up later.”

Kurumu waved the girl off, knocking on the door for 204. Hanetsume had mentioned yesterday that she had started molting right after passing her egg, so it was not that much of a surprise that her friend from junior high was working on the same clock. Back in Kengamine, it was like the whole village changed feathers at the same time.

Realizing Tora was most likely in the showers braiding her hair, Kurumu opened the door. Noting that Tora’s bedding had already been put away, she wandered across the room to the black writing desk, sitting down in the chair. She turned about to face the door.

She had barely spoken with Tora since the weekend. Now that Tora was back to walking with Deshi in the mornings, they might have five to ten minutes at breakfast and about that much during club before Ms. Kagome spirited her away. After her shower this morning, Kurumu had felt this inexplicable need to be here instead of killing time with Zukkutani until Moka felt like getting up from bed.

She wanted to ask how Tora was doing. It was not a question she could ask within a large group if she expected anything different from dismissive reassurances. She was starting to worry that Tora was pulling away.

Kurumu absently toyed with the yellow frog dangling from her schoolbag. They should do something together this weekend. Not another sleepover. Something fun after the flying attempt. They still had not tried out that roller skating place. When was the last time she had been on skates? Before her tail and wings. With Mother.

She sighed, wondering if she could talk her way out of Ms. Kagome’s tutoring today. She had those makeup exams tomorrow and wanted to spend some time reviewing over the English phrases she was required to know. It would also be nice to have her night free to go see Tsukune if she wanted. Ever since last Saturday night she had not allowed herself any alone time with him, worried it would only make him uncomfortable.

She knew he had decided on writing an article about the troubles of keeping true forms a secret. With the rumors spreading about him being a vampire, he felt it was a good idea to reinforce how important it was for everyone to maintain their humanity for the goal of coexistence. She wondered if he had finished it, wanting to be the first to read it.

Moka had made arrangements to do her article on Saturday. She had managed to get both teachers to agree to spend the whole afternoon with her, though it had not sounded like she had any real plan. If Kurumu had not already made arrangements for Saturday, she might have offered to help. She wondered what sort of life Ms. Hitori had outside of school.

The door pushed in as Tora slipped into the room carrying her shower caddy with the pink bottles and dark green loofa. Her raven locks were carefully braided against the side of her head above her ears. The braids wrapped towards the back where her hair tapered neatly to the nape of her neck.

Tora yelped, nearly dropping her caddy as her hand clutched her chest.

“My God, you scared me.”

Kurumu smirked as the girl shook her head. Tora wandered over to the closet, the sage towel cinched beneath her armpit and long enough to cover her shapely hips and bottom. The class rep tugged her closet open and set her shower things aside.

“So how have you been, Tora?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

Kurumu smiled, supposing she would answer the same way.

“I meant are you okay? I know it’s been a week and that most people have no idea what really happened-”

“It’s a done issue.”

Tora tugged a pair of chartreuse panties up over her hips while still wearing the towel, her back to Kurumu.

“Those boys were expelled.”

Kurumu nodded. Only Tora knew what had happened to those three seniors from the PSC.

“I don’t care what happened, Tora. I just want to know you’re okay.”

Tora put aside the towel as she slipped into the thin straps of a lacy, lime bra. She reached back to hook the pair of black clasps with practiced ease. Fixing the straps, she turned about and smiled.

“I’m fine. I’m even thinking of taking Ms. Hineri’s offer to join the PSC.”

Kurumu frowned, getting up. She sashayed over to the girl, reaching out to caress Tora’s cheek. The girl sighed, turning away to grab a blouse and jacket from one of her hangers.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Ginei said the same thing. But I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Tora started buttoning up the blouse after putting the jacket on.

“But what about our club?”

“I can be in both. Besides, it’s nice to not have to deal with that ridiculous lunch line.”

Kurumu snorted.

“You could always ask Yukari to pack you a lunch if that’s the only reason you are thinking about joining.”

“It’s not. I’ve toyed with the idea of joining Ms. Deshi for some time now. I also don’t mind the company of Ms. Meirowasa or Mr. Umizake. You may not know this, but Mr. Umizake is one of the top ten students of our class.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head as Tora fetched a skirt from her closet.

“Really? He seems the lazy sort.”

“People can surprise you. Would you believe that Ginei is in the top twenty five percent of his class?”

“That flirt? Seriously?”

“It’s something you should keep in mind before dismissing everything he does under some misguided belief that he’s an idiot.”

Kurumu snorted.

“He is an idiot. Grades don’t reflect everything.”

Tora closed up the closet and smoothed out the creases in her blouse. Gesturing to the door, the brunette moved over to the small recess to gather up her schoolbag and keys.

“Speaking of idiots, how are things going with you?”

“Hey.”

“I may not be the most observant, but you have not been as amorous around Tsukune this week. I don’t think I’ve seen you try to hold his hand once.”

A slight knock heralded the arrival of Tora’s neighbor. Deshi poked her head in, favoring them both with a smile as she wagged the end of her staff at them. As always she wore the sleeveless black jacket of the PSC with her tight fit black capris. The long strands of her reddish plum locks hung down in front of her ears to touch her thin waist.

“Morning.”

Kurumu smiled, thankful of being spared.

“Morning, Deshi.”

The foreigner sighed.

“Please, DeDe.”

Kurumu waved her hand dismissively, brushing by the girl into the hallway. On Tuesday morning she had asked Deshi if the PSC could help provide a lunch for the choir to maximize her time with the girls. It had been a halfhearted request made in her frustration of dealing with Ms. Kagome’s special lessons. She had not expected for Deshi to bring news the following morning that Lord Sabaku would help her out.

“So is everything good with the lunch today? The PSC isn’t going to suddenly back out now that Hineri is back?”

Deshi shrugged, twirling her staff about to tuck it in her armpit. Her schoolbag was slung in a manner that held it behind her hip.

“As far I know. Lady Hineri said fine.”

Tora exited her room, locking the deadbolt.

“Are you planning to run upstairs to wake Moka?”

Kurumu shook her head. She was not in the mood to deal with the drowsy vampire. It was a little after six thirty, so Zukkutani was awake. While the blonde had not attempted to rouse Moka yesterday, she might today. Maybe. It was not like Moka was ever late due to her antics. She would miss breakfast.

Kurumu started down the hall ahead of the pair. She doubted Tora would push the issue about Tsukune while in Deshi’s presence. Kurumu had no real answer. Tsukune had said she was pushing too hard, so she would stop pushing. That’s what he wanted. That’s what was best. She did not want to go back to that night in his room where she had been turned away.

He had given no indication of suspecting anything amiss yesterday. She wondered if she should do it again. Yukari had wanted to, but she had convinced the girl to wait and see Tsukune’s reaction. Maybe Monday morning if she spent the night with Yukari. She managed a smile as she held open the stair door for her companions.

“So will the PSC be eating with us?”

“Lord Koike and Lord Sabaku will eat with first years in same place. Lady Hineri said would help.”

Kurumu frowned as she followed the two girls down the flight of steps.

“That sounds worrisome. She might still be upset about last week.”

“No worry. She have what she want. No point cause trouble now.”

That was not reassuring. They came out on the first floor as a couple familiar girls were stepping out of the elevator. The two girls shared her home ec class and both lived on Moka’s floor. The shorter one, whom was taller than Deshi, had long, oily black hair that hung all the way down to her ankles. She glanced at them and smiled.

“Morning, Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu smiled back, honestly not recalling either girls’ name. The taller one was about Moka’s height. The girl had a denim bucket hat pulled over her copper braids. From gym, she knew both these girls were from class four, as they both had played for that volleyball team. The shorter one was better.

“Morning.”

They made their way over to the genkan, Deshi and Tora heading to one side while the other two girls went to the other. Kurumu sat down and untied the laces to free her dangling shoes from her bag.

“You know hat not allow in school.”

The tall girl sighed as she retrieved her shoes from her locker. There was movement within the girl’s hat, as if several things were pushing in different places trying to get out. She reached up with one hand to tug the brim down further as she walked over to the lip and sat down.

“I’ll let Mr. Nagamushi know in class. It will be fine.”

Kurumu slipped her foot into one shoe and then the other. She started tying her laces as Tora came over to sit next to her and do the same.

“Ask first. Then wear hat. For now, no hat.”

The smaller girl giggled as she sat down next to her friend. She placed her small hand on the other girl’s shoulder.

“Emiko is having a bad hair day.”

Deshi shrugged, slipping her shoes on which had no laces. She picked up her staff she had leant up against the lockers. She twirled it about to rest behind her head across her shoulders.

“Come now. Is not hard follow rule.”

The girl sighed again after finishing with the laces of her first shoe.

“Fine.”

The girl grabbed the denim hat and lifted it up. The short girl squeaked, quickly scooting away as copper braids shot out in all directions. The ends of the braids hissed with black forked tongues flickering in and out of small serpentine mouths.

“Warn me first!”

The tall girl shrugged, dropping her hat between her and the other girl while turning her attention back to her other shoe. The nest of snakes that served as this girl’s hair continued to writhe in all directions, hissing and striking out with fanged mouths at anything that moved.

Deshi laughed.

“See. Not so bad.”

Kurumu got up and favored the staff girl with a frown.

“You could have let her wear the hat.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Kurono. I just have to keep my distance.”

Kurumu smiled, aware of the stories of the medusa. She wondered if this was the Tonari girl Nagamushi had mentioned when she had requested his assistance to undo the work of a gorgon.

“It’s Tonari, right?”

The girl nodded, getting up after finishing with her shoe.

“What’s wrong with them today? I don’t normally see you with a hat.”

They all started moving towards the door, Tora using her card to trigger the sensor. Deshi darted ahead to take the lead.

“I thought of cutting my hair this morning. Dumb things. It’s not like they won’t grow back.”

The angry snakes struck out at the other girl, whom effortlessly hopped away with a giggle. The girl shook her head as she grabbed Kurumu by the wrist and tugged her towards the door.

“They still don’t like it. Isn’t that right, babies?”

The short girl held a palm up. A long strand of her black hair lifted up to slither into her hand. A diamond head took shape as a tiny, white tongue flickered out to brush the girl’s thumb. She raised her hand up to place a gentle kiss on top of the small serpent’s head. More strands lifted up, forming many more snake heads, each seeking similar attention.

“You’re going to have to cut yours eventually. You’re going to trip over your dumb hair.”

The girl smiled, letting her strands slither back around her legs.

“They don’t like getting dirty, so they know better.”

“I wish my hair was so well behaved.”

Kurumu smiled.

“I see that you two know me. Have you met my friend? This is Nazohashi Tora.”

Tora paused her step, allowing the two of them to catch up. Deshi noticed the hesitation, twirling about to backpedal down the trail while smiling with her usual eyes closed expression.

“I don’t believe that we have. This charming representative of what is left of the student police is Deshi Deshiko. She’s my neighbor.”

Deshi laughed.

“They know me. We share gym teacher.”

The short girl bowed softly, her hair carefully lifting to avoid the ground.

“I am Orochi Maki and my cousin is Tonari Emiko.”

“Isn’t that Mr. Nagamushi’s name?”

“Maki is a common girl’s name. Mine uses true and hope while hers uses shine, sea and child.”

“Nobody cares about that.”

The girl turned her head to stick her tongue out at her cousin. She smiled, the warmth reaching her sea green eyes.

“Speaking of Mr. Nagamushi, we are lucky our two seniors know what they are doing. I know he had to fill the position as our advisor on short notice, but he does not understand the sport at all.”

Tora forced a smile.

“How is the archery club doing? I’m sure the absence of Ms. Ishigami has troubled you.”

Orochi sighed.

“About half the club quit. And that was before Miho told us about the whole mess that happened in that storage room.”

Kurumu shared a glance with Tora. She guessed Miho was the name of the blonde from the archery club that had been among Ms. Ishigami’s victims.

“I’m sure you’re mistaken Ms. Orochi. I believe Ms. Ishigami took a job at a different school.”

Orochi smiled.

“I know that. Still, if you have the time… I’m sure our seniors would appreciate it if you consider doing an article for us. It wouldn’t take up that much space, as there is only ten of us left.”

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head.

“I wish I could, but I’m overbooked. Maybe if I didn’t lose my evenings to Ms. Kagome I could have done something, but I’m thinking I will be lucky to get my articles done before the next deadline.”

Tora nodded.

“It would be out of your hands, but Moka might be free to try for it.”

“But we’re already doing two clubs. Wouldn’t that be too much similar content?”

“That is also true.”

Tora favored the girl with a smile.

“Perhaps next paper. I’m sure Kurumu would like a smaller commitment the next time around.”

Kurumu smirked.

“I’ll probably agree to one other club, but yea… it would be nice to have one of my articles be a club that doesn’t require me asking everyone for help.”

They shared a laugh and fell silent for a good minute. It looked like they would be arriving at the Kurai dining hall soon. Deshi was still backpedaling as if this was normal for her. She never glanced over her shoulder yet somehow remained perfectly in the center of the path.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like having a boyfriend?”

“I… it’s nice. Sometimes.”

Tora snorted.

“A compelling argument. I’ll remember that when you pester me about Ginei or any other boy I happen to talk with.”

“Hey. You know it’s complicated.”

“And I’ve told you about my mother’s opinions about men, so we can agree that having a boyfriend is not necessarily in anyone’s best interests.”

Deshi laughed.

“Not safe. Half boys here might eat you.”

Kurumu shuddered at the passing thought of Nagare, though she knew Deshi meant the more fatal way of eating someone.

“I guess that could be true. Our senior said many girls don’t date simply out of caution.”

Tonari huffed, holding the hat in one hand while she lingered several paces behind the rest of the group.

“Everybody goes back home and marries the guys they grew up with. Nobody seriously expects to find a boyfriend in this mess.”

“Ms. Kurono has a boyfriend.”

“For what? A month, maybe? I guess that’s something since neither of them have killed each other yet.”

Kurumu laughed, despite realizing how potentially dangerous she was to Tsukune. She had never thought high school dating would be rare, figuring there might have been couples in junior high if she had not charmed all the boys into her service.

“I think waiting for my college years is acceptable. In college I would be more likely to find a suitable mate my mother would approve of.”

Kurumu rolled her eyes at the way Tora phrased that.

“You’re obsessed with your mother’s approval. Are you going to need her in bed with you to show you how to do it properly?”

“Unlike flying, I’m sure I can figure that one out.”

“What would you go to college for, Ms. Nazohashi?”

“I intend to pursue a law degree.”

“You don’t have to become your mother.”

“My mother is successful and happy.”

Kurumu shook her head. They were almost at the door and Deshi had not faltered a single step.

“What about you, Deshi? Do you plan to follow in your mother’s footsteps?”

The girl turned about perfectly to grab the handle as she shifted her staff about to her other hand. She stepped in front of the door, leaning upon it to keep it open for them.

“No plan. No time.”

Kurumu chuckled as she stepped through the door with the other two.

“What do you mean?”

“No time.”

Deshi walked in, the door starting to close. Tonari sighed, hurrying up to catch the door before it fully closed. The rest of them walked over to the end of the breakfast line.

“No time for what?”

Deshi grinned mischievously, her eyes opening slightly. She slipped her staff back up to rest on her shoulders behind her head.

Orochi lifted her hand, waving to someone she recognized. She turned to Tonari, gesturing to the hat.

“Put it back on. We both know you’ll never get through this line without having an accident.”

Tonari huffed.

“I don’t know. Police girl here seems to think she knows best.”

“Ms. Deshi, please allow her the hat. It’s not like we are in the school.”

Deshi grinned slyly.

“I no mind. Have fun.”

Kurumu shook her head as Tonari attempted to put the hat back on. The snakes hissed angrily, often snipping her hands as she struggled to get the denim about the writhing mass.

“What are you, some sort of imp that enjoys making trouble for others?”

Deshi favored her with an impish grin.

“Not at all.”

“Care to share, since you forced Tonari here to reveal her true form.”

Deshi placed her index finger against her lips, closing one eye.

“That is a secret.”

Tora rested a hand on Kurumu's shoulder.

“We should not discuss such things in the serving line.”

Kurumu sighed, doubting this girl would have given a different answer regardless of the setting. Deshi was one of the longer running mysteries for her, having met the foreigner on the same morning as Yukari. She supposed most of their frequent interactions were brief, kind of like Taijin. She could pull Asuka aside if she really wanted to know Taijin's true form.

“Does a succubus eat her mate?”

For some reason the first thought that came to Kurumu's mind involved fellatio. Blushing, she shook her head vigorously.

“I was curious. We don't either, though there often is the accidental stoning if we date a guy that isn't a gorgon.”

“I don't think there are that many monsters that do that. Even the Jorougumo don't have to if they have enough food.”

Tonari tugged her bucket hat down after it shifted angrily.

“That's more a want than a need.”

Tora shuddered.

“I don't know why anybody would want to eat their mate.”

“Well… we are talking about humans. It's not that hard to find another human male.”

“The whole idea is messy though. Humanoids like us can't eat a human even if we wanted to.”

Tora grimaced.

“Can we change subjects?”

The gorgon girls both laughed.

“Who were you waving to, Orochi?”

The dark haired girl pointed, though it was difficult to say which group she was indicating.

“To Ms. Ochiai. She's a second year from our club and our home village, Bokuseki, in Sanjo.”

“Is that a district in Niigata?”

Orochi giggled.

“Yes. We've heard that you are not from this prefecture.”

Deshi had reached the end of the line. The girl tucked her staff under her arm as she retrieved her tray. Tora quickly followed suit.

“How much do people know about me?”

“You should realize that you are the highest profile first year couple in the school after the incident with the student police.”

“Though half the talk is how Ms. Akashiya is the actual girlfriend, since both of them are vampires.”

Kurumu groaned, rolling her eyes as they slowly made their way to the morning entrees.

“I hope those people know that vampires have rules over whom they marry.”

The two girls exchanged glances. Orochi smiled.

“I'm sure everything will work out.”

“Yea. You'll have to be really sweet with his parents when you meet them.”

Kurumu realized her mistake. With everyone thinking Tsukune was a vampire, the rules would apply to him as well. She had a sinking feeling that the succubi would not be on the list of acceptable brides for a vampire.

Having made her selections, she wandered over to the short line for the registers to stand behind Tora. The other girls slowly followed after her as the boy ahead of Deshi finished checking out.

“Will you be eating with Ms. Ochiai?”

“We eat as a club when we can, though it's usually only half of us.”

Orochi smiled, turning to her friend.

“I don't mind that. We always have Ms. Shikikawa.”

“Shikikawa?”

“One of our seniors. She's over there with Ms. Ochiai and Ms. Yoshizawa.”

Tonari balanced her tray in one hand, pointing in the direction of the girls.

“Ms. Shikikawa is the black haired one. Ms. Ochiai has white hair and Ms. Yoshizawa is the ginger.”

“She prefers it being called alabaster.”

As the cashier started ringing up her breakfast, Kurumu finally noted the trio of ladies these two had been pointing to. The ginger was the tallest with her hair pulled back in a high pony tail that curled down with the end touching the nape of her neck. The dark green scrunchie complimented her hair nicely as she chatted amicably with her club mates. As the only one facing them, she had sharp, angular features and a narrow nose. The indent of below her nostrils was well defined, giving her thin lips more presence.

Swiping her card, Kurumu started over to the juice vending machines. She could not see much of the white haired girl. Her hair looked thick and was parted into different cords that hung past her shoulders, Each cord had a black bow neatly tied near the end. As these two had mentioned this girl was from their home village, Kurumu imagined those bows were placed at the base of the heads of serpentine locks.

The black haired one was probably the tallest, though that could be a matter of posture. Her hair was cut in the hime style in the front with the back stretching down to her seat. She was slender and elegant, similar to the Sawayaka girl from home ec.

“We'll see you in home ec.”

“Bye, Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu nodded and smiled. She selected her yuzu juice and retrieved it from the dispenser at the bottom. Noting that Deshi and Tora had wandered off to a vacant table near the entrance from the boys' side, Kurumu headed over.

It was still a few minutes before seven. They could easily finish up their meal before Moka or Tsukune arrived. As Kurumu took her seat next to Tora, she wondered if she should stick around or simply walk with Tora to school. Setting her things about the tray, she leaned against Tora.

“Could you do me a favor?”

Tora glanced at her as the brunette snapped apart her sticks.

“Hmm?”

“If I can't get out of Ms. Kagome's lessons today, could you wake me up around ten?”

“That's an odd request.”

“I need to study for my tests tomorrow. I haven't been able to all week.”

Tora smirked.

“It's too late to start studying now. Hopefully you have paid enough attention in class to handle an assessment test.”

“Maybe.”

Kurumu glanced at the door, thinking of Tsukune. With Saturday night booked, she wondered when she should do her laundry. A part of her wanted to keep up her weekly routine with Tsukune. Her girlfriend status was being questioned. Pulling away would only make the rumors worse. She was scared what he would say, assuming they could say anything.

“Would you want to help me study with Tsukune?”

“I suppose I could help, but I don't see why Tsukune needs to be involved.”

Kurumu reached over to squeeze the girl's left elbow. As Tora was left handed, this was quite detrimental to the girl's efforts to eat.

“Please. I don't know if I could ask anyone else.”

She felt this was true. Yukari did not live in the dorms and Moka would be unconscious. The only other option was Nerume and she did not want to trouble her the night before their slumber party.

Tora sighed, reaching over with her other hand to pat Kurumu's.

“Fine.”

“Thanks.”

Before she could turn her attention to her meal, she noted the approach of a familiar trio. Hiboshi was marching swiftly towards her with her two friends. Her auburn curls bounced angrily with each step. The girl glanced over Deshi and Tora as she stopped in front of them, glowering down upon Kurumu.

“Where is that worthless boyfriend of yours?”

Kurumu glanced at her watch, noting it was just now seven.

“Give him another ten or fifteen minutes.”

She snapped her sticks apart as she regarded the shorter girls behind Hiboshi. The smaller one with the black braids was from class four. She was Coach Yaisoku's niece, which explained why the girl had joined the tennis team with Hiboshi. The plum haired one with the auburn eyes was Lady Hineri's little sister.

“Kumiko says he has something that belongs to me. I want it back.”

Kurumu shrugged as she took her first mouthful of rice. She pointedly swallowed before replying.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Hineri's sister grabbed Hiboshi by her right sleeve, tugging the jacket.

“We should get breakfast first.”

“I want it back!”

“Ms. Hiboshi. What do you think Mr. Aono has that belongs to you?”

Hiboshi's face twisted angrily, her eyes glaring.

“It's mine! He has no right to it!”

“Netsuki, let's go.”

“Yea, people are watching.”

Hiboshi made a slight whimper as her two friends pulled her away. The girl glanced about, realizing that her friend was correct. Several people had taken notice of the angry exchange. She glanced away.

“It's mine.”

“Come on. We can catch him after breakfast.”

“It will be okay.”

Hiboshi nodded as she allowed herself to be led away. She shuffled a couple steps before casting an angry glare over her shoulder.

“That was unusual for Ms. Hiboshi.”

Kurumu shrugged, seizing up another wad of rice.

“I guess we should wait for Tsukune. I worry what she might do when he arrives.”

Kurumu sighed, nodding. That would be for the best.

* * *

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Tomarigi. I had no idea it would take this long.”

The short haired teacher smiled, waving a thin hand dismissively. A silver band set with small diamonds encircled her left ring finger. Her peach locks were thick and layered, the ends frosted white. The choir teacher wore a short sleeved, lavender blouse with a loose, black skirt that nearly touched the floor.

“It’s no problem, Ms. Kurono. I’m happy that only a few students missed their fifth period.”

Kurumu bowed slightly, feeling awful that things had not worked out as planned.

“I’m still sorry.”

For unknown reasons, Moka and Tsukune had failed to participate. Tsukune had mentioned wanting to go to the roof to clear his head before they had headed over to the choir room. As the choir room was the large room across the hall from the science labs, Kurumu had not thought to protest his absence under the assumption he would be back quickly.

Mrs. Tomarigi had been waiting for them. Surprisingly both Lady Hineri and the ashen haired young man were also there, flanking a steel rack laden with preassembled lunch trays. Both were still dressed in their gym clothes, which made them look like normal students. Lady Hineri was from class 3-6 while her companion, Kusutate, was from class 2-8.

Having the shortest distance to walk, some of the first years had arrived before them. The tiny Dakuhime from class twelve with her grayish braided locks had been seated on the floor next to her classmates, Utachi and Umou. All three had started to eat after acknowledging their arrival.

It had not taken long for Ginei to join them, accompanied by four juniors from the choir. Oso and Noboto were from his class while Amatsu and Okimune were merely tagging along. The large Maruyuchi had arrived shortly after with Ikeda. Then the seniors started arriving around the same time as the girls that had gym fourth period.

As almost ten minutes had passed with no signs of Tsukune, Moka had left her half-finished meal to find out what was taking him so long. It was almost another ten minutes before they grouped up the girls for pictures.

As much as Ginei had wanted to be the only cameraman, Kurumu had convinced Yamabato to help out days ago. Yamabato had convinced the other two first years from the film club to help out, so the photo part did not take a whole lot of time. Ginei had handled individual portraits which were unlikely to get used, but aided his flirting efforts.

The other three boys took multiple shots of different groups. They squeezed everyone together for a big shot, and then divided the groups by grades. The girls had also encouraged a special shot for the Ojiya district girls, as nine of them were from the same junior high.

Realizing that half the lunch period was over, Ginei had convinced her to start on the interviews while Lady Hineri sent Kusutate to look for Moka and Tsukune. While Kurumu talked with the first years, Tora handled the seniors and Ginei interviewed his classmates.

Having little else to do, Uchiyama had casually flirted with two of the choir girls, betraying his preference for the buxom girls from class twelve. His club mate, Tamura, whom also was from class twelve, spent much of his spare time chatting with the tiny Dakuhime. Kurumu had wondered if that was because the guy was short, standing about the same height as most of the first year girls. Only Yamabato behaved himself, spending most of his time scrolling through the pictures on his camera.

Utachi Fumenko was one of the Ojiya girls and friends with Chousei Akiko from Kurumu’s class. The girl had raisin colored hair that was tied up with yellow ribbons into twin buns. Her butterscotch eyes sparkled every time Uchiyama made a comment, often forcing Kurumu to draw the girl’s attention back to the question at hand.

Umou Saezuri had not been an improvement when it came to staying focused on the interview. The girl from the Aga district had shoulder length, cinnamon curls that were twisted into spirals. She giggled. A lot. Often at random.

Bouzuki Kanari from class six was Umou’s friend. She had creamy blond hair with curled bangs that often hung over her honey colored eyes. She had a natural lilt to her voice and had a bright, warming smile. Unlike the first two, the girl talked a lot about music and her love for the works done by Mika Nakashima. If Kurumu wanted, she was welcome to borrow a CD.

Realizing they were running short on time, Kurumu had decided to finish the lunch hour with a quick interview with Dakuhime Mayumi. Having spoken with the little shower singer from her floor on multiple occasions, she had known the answers to most of her standard questions.

After the first bell sounded, they had talked about what they should do with Lady Hineri and Mrs. Tomarigi. They still had half the club to interview, which would take more than half the next period to do without Moka and Tsukune. Kusutate had arrived as the bell announced the start of the fifth period, letting them know that Tsukune and Moka were resting up in the infirmary after an incident. He did not know the details.

Mrs. Tomarigi dismissed the girls that had been finished while shooing the film club off to their fifth period classes. The teacher had suggested that they prioritize the girls that had seventh period choir first, of which there was only five. Reluctantly Kurumu had agreed to finish the article instead of rescheduling for another time. It was not like she would have an excused absence if she ran off to check on Tsukune anyways.

A hand touched her shoulder. Tora smiled.

“Are you finished?”

Kurumu shook her head as she held her mechanical pencil to her notebook.

“I still need to ask about your schedule. Concerts, competitions, that sort of thing.”

The teacher smiled.

“Oh, of course. We usually don’t host a concert for the cultural festival. There’s too much competition for the stage and the girls usually have other commitments to attend to. We do have a prefectural concert hosted here in the second week of September, in which we invite the other prefectural high schools to participate. It’s not a competition.”

As Kurumu jotted down the details, her mind wandered. They were more than halfway through the fifth period, but it looked like everyone was done. Tora must have finished the four seniors Ginei had directed to her, though two of them had decided to stick around and chat instead of going to their class. Other than Hineri and the girl Ginei was chatting with, the music room was empty.

Aware that they had lab today, Kurumu had made sure to do Natsudera Sayuri, her lab partner, first. They had chuckled about leaving Izanai to handle everything on his own, but the hazel eyed Natsudera worried it would upset him too much. Like Dakuhime, Kurumu had some of the facts, so it did not take her too long to send her blue haired, ponytailed classmate off.

Kurumu had interviewed Yokumoto Toshiko next. She had seen this sable haired girl once or twice, mostly because her hair actually touched the floor. Dakuhime’s friend from class six had this wide eyed, unblinking stare that was unsettling. Not that her indigo eyes were disturbing, but her expression was often devoid of emotion. She had a soft, sibilant voice that was almost as quiet as Dakuhime’s. The two had grown up together and lived across the hall from each other.

It had been a long while since she had spoken with her classmate, Chousei Akiko. She had let the conversation wander into how difficult it was to braid her blondish green locks so tightly. She had also asked how the girl managed to have the antenna bangs, which Chousei admitted to using a gel to keep the strands firm and that she only let her hair down once a week. The rest of the week she showered with a rubber cap.

Her last interview before the teacher had been with Natsudera’s junior high friend, Akushita Natsume. Already aware of the girl being a futakuchi, it had not bothered her at all when the girl never answered with her small mouth tucked beneath her tiny nose. She was aware of the girl’s second mouth hidden behind her inky black locks that stretched past her waist. The hazel eyed girl had admitted joining the choir on a whim, mostly because Sayuri had no better ideas and they both had choir as their elective.

Kurumu looked up after having written about the big competitive concert that would be held at Imoshinai Institute on the second week of the third term in January.

“Would you say that you have any leaders or special comments about any of the girls?”

“That is difficult. Ms. Saiwakami undoubtedly makes my life easier. She helps keeping the girls focused.”

The teacher paused, glancing aside.

“As for talent… we have no shortages. Both of the Tadayo girls are joys to work with and have excellent ranges. We’re also extremely blessed to have Ms. Maruyuchi, since her deep voice allows us to present pieces that some choirs would have to avoid. There’s never a shortage of sopranos, so having a genuine contralto is a true gift.”

Mrs. Tomarigi laughed.

“I might get scolded if I don’t mention Ms. Amatsu. While she may not be the best singer, she is a top ten student and helps me a lot with the club paperwork. She’s invaluable in her own way.”

“Any other closing comment you might have?”

The woman sighed.

“Yes. There is one particular voice that might interest you. I have her in choir, but not in the club.”

“Oh… well we’re only doing an article on the club.”

“This would be for your own notes, if you are interested.”

Kurumu shrugged.

“There is a Ms. Doronuma in my seventh period. I believe she joined the music club, which could become a thing.”

“Music club. So… they listen to music?”

“Think of them as a band in the entertainment sense. Most of the time they don’t have a noteworthy singer, but that might be different this year.”

Kurumu smiled, hooking her mechanical pencil in her notepad. She took the sheets of paper from Tora, tucking them in before closing her notebook.

“I’ll remember that. Thank you for your patience, Mrs. Tomarigi.”

“Thank you, Ms. Kurono. It’s been a few years since our club has received such publication. I look forward to it.”

Turning away from the teacher, she walked slowly over to Ginei. He was chatting with that Okimune girl he had arrived with. She had gorgeous, arctic blue hair that curled as it fell. She had a good portion of it held up in the back in an updo that was cinched with a cream white ribbon. It was similar to how she handled her hair, but those curls… damn. Okimune’s hair had to be longer.

“I hope we aren’t interrupting.”

Ginei grinned, gesturing to the girl.

“This is Okimune Hitsumi. She was in my homeroom last year.”

The girl smiled. She had soft, creamy eyes like buttermilk. Though she was thin, her figure curved in the right places and her face was angelic. This girl would give Moka a good run for second place.

“Give.”

Kurumu held her hand out, regarding the sheets in his hand. He chuckled, promptly turning over the materials. Kurumu glanced over the sheets, looking for this girl’s facts. So this girl was from Itoigawa. Hmm. Yamabato had not reacted at all to the girl.

“So how is Inui doing these days?”

The girl frowned.

“I believe he’s doing fine.”

Kurumu smirked.

“You are aware our jokester here invited that boy to our club despite knowing his reputation.”

The girl gasped, regarding Ginei.

“You didn’t.”

“He approached me. I thought he might have changed up his act.”

Okimune shook her head, sighing.

“You’re as troublesome as you were last year.”

“Ms. Okimune.”

The girl glanced over to the teacher, whom was sitting down upon the bench in front of a tanned piano. The other two girls had joined the woman.

“Could you also help with the piano?”

“Yes, Teacher.”

“What is she doing?”

Okimune smiled.

“Tuning. I’ll see you later Ginei. Ladies.”

Mrs. Tomarigi pressed her finger to a key. She gestured to the two senior girls, whom giggled for a moment before straightening up. When she struck the key the second time, the two girls tried to match the note. Okimune moved over to stand by the taller, ivory haired girl.

“So how many girls do you have in your harem, Ginei?”

Ginei snorted.

“I’m not keeping count.”

“This is the real reason why we can’t pin him down to have lunch with the club. He spends all his free time chasing girls.”

He smirked. He nodded over to Lady Hineri, whom was leaning up against the wall next to the door. She had been handing out passes to the girls as they left, so that their teachers knew the absence was excused. She had sent her junior, Kusutate, off to his fifth period shortly after he had delivered the news about Tsukune.

“Either of you planning on heading out? There’s still a few minutes left.”

“Like ten. That’s cleanup and I’d only be in the way.”

“I do hope Moka or Tsukune returned to class. That has to be hard on Ms. Arashimideru.”

“Do you think Hiboshi attacked them?”

“I suppose she might have. She was angry at him.”

They had waited for Tsukune to arrive for breakfast, hoping to diffuse the situation. It has not taken long to figure out that the thing Hiboshi wanted was the omamori, which Tsukune had left in his dorm room. The girl had ran off upon hearing this. They had not seen her since.

“Are you talking about the little fox girl?”

“Yes. That omamori you gave Tsukune apparently belongs to her.”

“That makes no sense. Ms. Yoshino gave that to us.”

“Oh. So that’s how you got it.”

They glanced over at the grinning Hineri. Her right arm was wrapped about her torso below the swell of her modest bosom while her left hand was up by her cheek. She moved her jaw slightly, as if chewing gum.

“Are you planning on staying in your gym clothes the rest of the day?”

“They are more flattering than the student police uniform.”

Ginei smirked.

“They do show more curves.”

Hineri grinned, bowing her head.

“I appreciate the compliment.”

“What do you know about the omamori?”

“What indeed? That poor girl might try anything to get that back.”

She slyly grinned.

“But I’m sure she’s no match for a vampire.”

“It doesn’t need to come to that. I’m sure if Ms. Hiboshi explains herself, Tsukune would be more than willing to return it to her.”

Hineri frowned.

“I don’t believe it would be that simple. That charm belongs to the victor. That was the condition under which it was created.”

“So… are you saying she has to fight Tsukune for it?”

“I am no expert, but I know Netsuki. She will challenge him.”

“Do you think that’s why Tsukune was in the infirmary?”

Hineri shrugged, but Ginei was shaking his head.

“I think it was probably that idiot, Rikishi.”

“Who is Rikishi?”

“Captain of the wrestling club. He’s a third year that has been harassing me for a long time. I beat up one of his seniors back before I was part of the newspaper club. Rikishi has been on my ass ever since, wanting a fight.”

“Revenge?”

“Not at all. He probably hated his senior.”

“Then why?”

“Because I was stronger than his senior. Rikishi is a simple guy. He wants to prove his strength by fighting strong opponents.”

Kurumu snorted, shaking her head.

“So why don’t you fight the guy? You don’t sound like you’re worried about him.”

“I’m not. And if I had not made that promise to Ms. Otonashi, I would have taken care of him.”

Ginei grinned.

“But he’s so easy to avoid. What would even be the point?”

“It sounds like you think this guy hurt Tsukune. Isn’t that point enough?”

Ginei shrugged.

“That’s got nothing to do with me. Tsukune and I hit the john after club yesterday and that brute called Tsukune out. Taking that fight with Rikishi would settle my score, but would not change his mind about fighting Tsukune.”

Kurumu bit her lower lip as she glanced at Tora.

“Hineri. Did your guy say Moka had silver hair?”

The young woman frowned.

“He said Ms. Akashiya. He did not mention her hair color.”

The girl wagged a finger at her thoughtfully.

“Speaking of which, I do recall a silver haired, crimson eyed Moka. Does her hair and eyes change color in her true form?”

“They do. If Moka used her true form, we don’t have much to worry about.”

Ginei chuckled.

“Moka was with Tsukune the whole time. You know she took care of it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Tora placed a hand on Kurumu’s shoulder.

“You say that Ms. Hiboshi will challenge him for that omamori. Why does she need this charm?”

Lady Hineri smiled.

“Why indeed?”

Kurumu rolled her eyes.

“Do you take some sick pleasure withholding information?”

“Maybe. It’s not like you could beat the truth out of me. You wouldn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie.”

Kurumu scowled, supposing this was true.

“If I were to join your student police, would you tell us then?”

“You don’t have to do that Tora.”

“She’d probably lie anyways.”

“Not necessarily. Her offer is far more valuable than what I know about that omamori. The talents of a sphinx could be quite useful to maintaining order.”

“You’ll just use her.”

“Of course. Contrary to what Mr. Morioka believes, there is a genuine terrorist threat within this school.”

Morioka snorted.

“More pure blood propaganda?”

Lady Hineri grinned.

“I will say that having the defensive abilities of a sphinx are more beneficial than the witch hunting tactics our former leader employed.”

“I am serious about this offer. What do you know about the charm?”

Lady Hineri touched her lips as she glanced beyond them in thought.

“I suppose I should start with how Kuyo and Netsuki are entwined. When Kuyo returned from Yokai Academy, I understand that he caused quite a bit of trouble for our community. He was obsessed with ridding our lands of the human infestation. Many hapless humans that were hiking and camping in our territory were… dealt with.”

Kurumu grimaced.

“Bear in mind that I was only a child at this time, so I can’t personally vouch for what happened. I know that the elders decided it would be best for their Prince to handle a security issue that had surfaced at Yokai Academy. I understand that a human with the aid of monstrels, infiltrated the student body and attempted to assassinate the Headmaster.”

“That’s preposterous. The Headmaster is probably the strongest monster in this school.”

“That’s a theory based on the premise that the strong rule the weak. There is no proof that the Headmaster is more powerful. He does possess the ability to dispel auras, but that does not mean he could have fought the Prince if Kuyo had felt like seizing control of this school.”

“I’m not interested in hearing how powerful the Headmaster is or not. Why does Hiboshi want this charm?”

“I was getting there. The truth is, I don’t know how serious Kuyo was in his task of finding all of Antithesis. As long as he had a reason to stay here, he did not have to deal with the elders.”

“The elders sent him away. Why would they want him back?”

“To sire a new Prince.”

Morioka chuckled.

“You mean to tell me that this guy terrorized our school for over a decade because that was better than getting married?”

“Getting replaced. He is the strongest of his people, so they wanted to take charge of any children he sired. Hopefully his heirs would be more agreeable to their ideas.”

“Then why not fight the elders? He loved fighting.”

“It was not like he never came back to the village. I’m sure he tried on several of his visits. But nobody is strong enough to fight the council.”

Kurumu gasped in frustration.

“I don’t care about Kuyo. Why are we talking about Kuyo? We asked about Hiboshi and the omamori.”

Lady Hineri grinned.

“Netsuki was his choice. The elders had pushed him to pick his bride over ten years ago. To mock them, he claimed the five year old daughter of his aunt. I’m sure he would have picked a younger girl if he had known any.”

“So this charm is part of that? Like a marriage contract?”

“No. The charm is hers. I told you honestly that I don’t understand the magic behind this omamori. Maybe Netsuki would be willing to explain it, though I doubt that. All I know is that she tried to use that thing as leverage to break out of her marriage contract five years ago during his winter break visit. I remember this clearly because I was looking forward to starting my first year in junior high and we all went to the shrine that New Year’s to pray for our good fortunes.”

The bell sounded the end of the period. Lady Hineri smiled.

“I wish I knew more than that. Truly I do, as I clearly got the better end of this deal.”

Tora glanced at Kurumu and grinned.

“I could always withdraw my offer.”

The senior frowned, though her auburn eyes did not reflect disappointment.

“Will you accompany me to the school store for sizing? Just in case.”

* * *

Hiboshi had gone on a tiny rampage this morning. Tsukune telling the angry girl his apartment number had been a big mistake. The glass door for the fourth floor stairwell was nothing but a steel frame. The shattered glass had been disposed of by the unfortunate boys that had discovered the wreckage.

Tsukune’s door had not been much of an obstacle, though it was still intact. Perhaps calmed from her initial outburst, the girl had melted the hinges, knob and lock. His room had been undisturbed, likely because the omamori had been in open sight. The charm had been left untouched on the recess where he threw his keys and card.

Guessing this rage could not have taken more than an hour, Kurumu was worried what that fox girl had been doing all day. Whatever it was, she had not come after Tsukune or any of them… yet. She had a feeling Lady Hineri had not been lying. Hiboshi would come for Tsukune soon.

Kurumu had attended her home economics class. Not much happened other than noting Shirayuki’s absence. While she was worried about the girl, this new issue with Hiboshi was more critical due to the trouble it could cause Tsukune. When things settled down, she would try to talk with Shirayuki about her problems and try to learn more about what it meant to be a yuki’onna.

In gym, Tora had admitted skipping out on the school store offer. Her computer class taught by Mr. Karatsuki was not one she wanted to walk in late for. Apparently Lady Hineri did not mind, needing to change out of her gym clothes and head to her Culture class. Tora was still serious about joining the student police, but she first wanted to talk with the student council this weekend over if they would prefer her to step down from the position of class representative.

Oddly they had won every volleyball game this week in which Hiboshi had been absent. Nerume had mentioned this, thinking Natsudera should have been picked over the bossy fox girl. This was probably coincidental, considering whom they had played those games against and Class 3-4 not even putting up a pretense of effort in today’s match. Even with Chousei in for the absent Moka, they had not needed a third game to determine the winner.

Asuka’s hopes of a three way tie for first had been thoroughly crushed. The formerly undefeated girls from class one had been soundly defeated by the two senior teams they finished out against, landing them in third. It was still the best record any of the first year teams had managed, though the achievement was shared with class six and class twelve.

She had not been able to speak with Moka until after classes ended. Ginei had been right about their attacker. With Moka’s help, Tsukune had defeated the wrestling captain. She had wanted to ask about the lingering bite marks on Tsukune’s neck, but Ms. Kagome had come for her and would not be denied.

Tora had kept her promise. The girl had threatened to back out when Kurumu pressed the whole doing laundry with Tsukune, but she had pleaded the girl into submission. They would study while the laundry was doing its thing. There was no reason why they could not do both.

Kurumu looked up from her English book and smiled at the group. Tsukune still had the marks on his neck, admitting Moka must have bitten deeper when drinking his blood this time. He rubbed a finger against his dark eyebrow as he turned the page of his textbook.

Tsukune had been hanging out in Yamabato’s room when they had arrived. The boys had been dressed down for the night in tee shirts and sleep pants. Yamabato had perked up at their arrival, noting her continuation of the wife’s duties. The amused Tora had suggested a study session, which even caught Tanboshi’s interest. They had started the study session after setting the laundry in motion.

Tanboshi had called it a night on their first break around eleven fifteen. She had run down to the first floor with Tora to move the clothes over to the dryers. Glancing at her watch, it probably was about time for them to head back down there. The clothes only took an hour to dry.

Yamabato yawned, his ochre eyes barely open. Shaking his head, he closed his textbook.

“I’m done.”

Kurumu giggled, pulling up the strap of her loose, corduroy blue tank top.

“This is how a bunch of boys act on a full moon night? I must say I’m disappointed.”

He yawned again, scratching his side through his white tank top.

“Sorry. I’ve been pulling too many late nights with that stupid game system Takoshine left in my room. You have to try that Front Mission 4 of his. It’s so dumb but I can’t stop.”

“Is there something special about full moon nights?”

Kurumu smiled at the inquisitive Tora. The girl had surprisingly changed into a lavender, spaghetti strap top worn over that dark green sports bra with the black fleck design. Her silky, yellow sleep pant tapered in after the knees to cling tightly to her calves. Her dress down was due to having done her own laundry after dinner, and figuring her pajamas were tame and casual. Her raven locks were not bound in their usual braids.

“Just a rumor that boys are more aggressive.”

“Yes, well I’m going to attack my pillow so hard it will wish it was never born.”

Tora glanced at her own wristwatch.

“Those clothes should be done. We will be leaving soon.”

Yamabato got up, stretching his arms behind his back. His periwinkle sleep pants hung a bit loosely about his hips.

“Need an escort on this dangerous night?”

Kurumu snorted.

“We’ve managed fine the last couple times.”

Tsukune was up on his feet, tugging his black sleep pant higher up his waist though they settled back on his hips almost immediately. He absently tugged his shirt lower to cover the hem of his pants.

“Are you sure? It’s my clothes.”

Kurumu got up, grabbing Tora by the upper arm and tugging. The brunette set aside her textbook and managed to get to her feet using Kurumu’s black, cotton shorts as her initial handhold. Kurumu chuckled, tugging the fabric back up her hip as Tora raised a hand to cover her yawn.

“We’ll be fine. Come on, Tora.”

“You’ll come with me to the student council meeting tomorrow?”

“If I can wake up for it.”

Tora nodded, covering a second yawn.

“Good night, Kamitsuku.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Good night, Kamitsuku.”

She tugged on Tora’s wrist, leading the girl out into the hall. As Tsukune no longer had a working door, the boys having set the useless thing aside, there was not a recognizable transition of air quality. The lack of glass at the end of the hall allowed fresh air to waft in from the outside, but it lacked the force to disperse this stench spreading from the opposite end of the hall. Poor Tora had nearly retched on their first trip down the hall to Tsukune’s room, resorting to using a clean shirt in Tsukune’s closet to breathe deeply through.

They crossed through the steel frame of the missing glass. Kurumu took a deep breath, aware that Tora was doing the same. Still holding Tora by the wrist, she started down the stairs.

“How can they live like that?”

“It’s that Gomitsuro guy. His true form must be some sort of stink demon.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“They said he was an akaname, whatever that is.”

“Sounds dreadful.”

Tora glanced back over her shoulder.

“We should have asked Tsukune to come along.”

“Hmm?”

“That way we could have left.”

“You left your textbook up there anyways.”

“I guess.”

“Besides, we should spend the night.”

“What?!”

“Yea, we should.”

“I’m not spending the night in a boys’ dorm.”

“It’s Tsukune’s room.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“But we have to, Tora. We can’t leave him like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t have a door, Tora. Anybody could walk in on him.”

Tora frowned.

“Why wouldn’t he sleep with Kamitsuku?”

Kurumu sighed, realizing how awkward the situation must be for Tsukune.

“Tsukune’s not going to ask to spend the night with another guy. And now that there’s this silly rumor of Tsukune being some powerful vampire, I doubt either of his friends felt comfortable asking if Tsukune wanted to sleep in their rooms.”

“I don’t have any clothes, Kurumu.”

“You can go back to your room in the morning and change. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Kurumu. Tsukune doesn’t need any more rumors. What do you think will happen if someone sees us in there?”

“We need you to do your barrier thing. Just for tonight. I’m sure Tsukune will have his door fixed tomorrow. It’s not like he has anything else to do.”

She was aware that he had made an offer of helping Moka with her article, but that was before finding his room in this state. Surely he would prioritize his safety over a silly promise to Moka.

“Ugh… how did I let you talk me into this?”

“Because you love me.”

“You’re a horrible influence on me.”

“It’s not like you didn’t spend the night with Ginei.”

Tora blushed.

“That was different. It’s scary to be in the school by yourself at night.”

“Really? Maybe we should have a test of courage one of these weekends.”

“That’s a summer thing.”

“As if any of us will be here over summer break.”

“We might be able to do something as a club over summer break.”

“That could be nice. You could all take me out for a nice birthday party.”

“You should spend that day with your mother.”

“You guys-”

No. She did not really want her friends meeting her mother.

“Yea. I suppose I should.”

They finally reached the bottom of the steps and started walking about the building for the laundry room. The lights for the rectangular room were always on, even during the day. Kurumu pulled open the glass door, gesturing for Tora to head in first. Her hamper and his clothes sack were left untouched in the far corner of the room. With it being so late, none of the washers or dryers were in use. According to Yamabato, this room was real busy all day long on Sundays, so he had moved his laundry day to Monday nights to avoid the hassle.

“I think we should help Kamitsuku find a girlfriend.”

Tora, whom had grabbed up Kurumu’s damaged hamper, looked up from the dryer.

“What makes you say that?”

Kurumu sighed as she grabbed Tsukune’s mesh. She wandered over to the dryer next to Tora.

“I don’t know. I feel like he isn’t trying.”

“Kurumu. We’re fifteen. Not everyone is in a rush to be in a relationship.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out as she seized a pair of Tsukune’s slacks. She folded it deftly before stuffing it in the sack.

“I think most guys would not turn down a chance to have a girlfriend. That Okimune girl Ginei was talking with is from Kamitsuku’s junior high.”

Tora smiled softly as she was deliberately folding all of Kurumu’s skirts first and putting them in the bottom of the hamper. With that task finished, she started on the jackets.

“That girl is far too pretty for Kamitsuku.”

“Would you say I’m too pretty for Tsukune?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t even hesitate.”

“Tsukune’s cute, but not the sort I would expect to see with a girl like you.”

“Oh? What sort of man do you think would look normal with me?”

“Mr. Burumoto looked quite natural with you.”

Kurumu snorted.

“Ushio is huge compared to me. There’s nothing natural about needing a stepladder to look your lover in the eye.”

“I suppose he is rather tall.”

“You’re only like two maybe three centimeters taller than me. I don’t see you drooling over any guys as big as Ushio.”

“I don’t drool over guys.”

“I’m just saying that whatever guys you think you would look good with, are probably the same guys I would look good with. There’s no reason to suddenly pick the most alpha male in our class as some prime example of the type of guy I should be with.”

They moved over to the other dryer that contained the dark casual clothes and her dark lingerie. It did not take long to sort these out and move on to the dryer with the lights.

“We’re different, Kurumu. You’re like a model. I’m just an ordinary girl. Ordinary guys like Tsukune are lucky to be with girls like you.”

“It doesn’t feel that way.”

Kurumu managed a smile as she stood up with the sack. She had not sorted the clothes nearly as nicely as Tora had done hers. The silly girl had even folded her panties.

Tora stood up, lifting the hamper up to the small of her belly. She frowned.

“I have to pee.”

Kurumu grimaced. She hefted the sack up, setting it aside on the top of the nearest dryer. She gestured for Tora to set the hamper down before grabbing the girl by the wrist.

“They don’t have a common room down here. We’ll have to go outside.”

“What?! Why would we do that?”

Kurumu tugged the girl as she pushed out the door.

“I would not use the toilets upstairs. I’ve seen some of those boys’ rooms. I can’t imagine that bathroom being in any better condition.”

Tora’s jade eyes were wide as they stepped outside.

“We can’t pee outside. What if someone sees us?”

Kurumu pulled the girl aside. Glancing down the length of the building, she squatted down with her back to the wall. She gestured for Tora to do the same.

“They won’t see anything. Hurry up and do it.”

Tora shook her head, peering about nervously as she joined Kurumu. Kurumu smiled, hooking her thumbs about the hem of her shorts and panties, tugging them both to her knees. She leaned a little forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

“You’re such a horrible influence on me.”

Kurumu sighed as she tinkled on the ground. She saw that Tora had reluctantly tugged her sleep pants, though only to her mid thighs.

“I know, but unless those boys were kind enough to reserve a stall for Gomitsuro, I’d rather not guess which toilet seat was graced with his presence. I would sooner piss myself than use a toilet up there.”

Tora leaned forward, her attention still focused on the end of the building. It was much more audible when her stream hit the dirt.

“Damn. Drink too much tea?”

“Shut up.”

Already finished, Kurumu tugged her shorts and panties back in place as she straightened up.

“Should I get a bottle so you can set your barrier?”

Tora sighed.

“I suppose. But hurry.”

Kurumu chuckled as she slipped back in the laundry room. Nothing caught her eye immediately, but she found an empty water bottle in the trash can. She hurried back out to her squatting friend, hunkering down next to Tora and handing over the plastic container.

Kurumu glanced at her watch, noting it was half past midnight. The moon was full but there was not a soul lurking in the shadows of the campus. She would have felt any lust directed at them.

“You know that I can sense when people are desiring me, right?”

“Yea.”

“Nobody is watching us.”

Tora managed a smile. She was holding the bottle beneath her while her left hand was moving between her thighs. The girl closed her eyes, biting her lower lip as she breathed softly.

“That wasn’t permission to masturbate.”

“Shut up.”

She heard a slight splash of fluid against the plastic, the sound hollow. Tora made a slight whimper as she firmly rocked her wrist. Tora winced as more splashes followed.

“You look like your hurting yourself.”

“Could you not? This is embarrassing.”

Tora grimaced as another splash sounded. She withdrew the bottle which was a quarter full with a dark, murky fluid. She handed it over to Kurumu. Relieved of the container, Tora stood up while pulling her sleep pant back over her rump. She walked back into the laundry room.

Kurumu sniffed the container, quickly noting it was much stronger than the mist Tora would spray with her bottle. Grimacing she slipped into the laundry room to fetch Tsukune’s mesh bag while Tora handled the hamper. She held the door open for the girl before they headed back for the exterior stairs that flanked the end of the building.

“You’re still a virgin, right?”

Tora laughed.

“Yes. Are you?”

Kurumu smiled.

“Yea.”

“You don’t have to sound so disappointed.”

“I’m so happy you came with me tonight.”

Tora slowed to allow Kurumu to walk alongside her as they started up the stairs.

“You’re going to have trouble getting up in the morning.”

“I hope not. I would like to have my Saturday mornings back.”

“I worry what a delinquent like you would do with too much free time.”

“Probably reschedule my article instead of blowing off my fifth period because a crazy teacher thinks it’s in my best interest to walk home in a stupor.”

“I’m surprised Tsukune was not the first thing to cross your mind.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Well… what can I really do that I haven’t already done? I can’t kiss him and he doesn’t want to do anything with me.”

“I find it more likely he’s scared to do anything with you. “

“That’s not any better.”

“What's wrong, Kurumu?”

Kurumu sighed.

“What could be more wrong than not being able to kiss the man you love?”

“But you've known this for a week now. You were so optimistic last weekend.”

“I want to believe. But I just can't do this by myself. Not when I feel like I'm the only one trying.”

“You should do something this weekend with him.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I'm kind of booked up. I will be spending all of Saturday with Nerume and then we have your flying after church on Sunday.”

“You have all of Sunday night.”

“You want to go skating? We could all go to that skating rink after flying. I'm sure Hanetsume and Tobuyoku would be cool with that.”

“I was thinking you should do something alone with him.”

“I don't want to do that.”

It would be awkward. He would probably spend most of his time avoiding her and thinking of Moka.

“Have you ever tried going on a date with him?”

Kurumu sighed. These few visits for laundry were the only times she had alone with him.

“I think it's easier on him when we're all together.”

“I don't think being surrounded by a bunch of girls makes things easier for him. Tsukune is always on guard. Tonight was the most relaxed I've ever seen him.”

“He's like that around Kamitsuku and Tanboshi. I guess you don't see it that much.”

“If you're serious about the skating rink, I'll convince Ginei to come.”

“During your date with him?”

“We're just finalizing a few things with our sponsors. It's not a date.”

“You did that last weekend. And we all know that he takes you out to eat.”

“You must have this assumption that he acts more amorous when he's alone with me. You've seen how he acts. It's more of the same.”

“Yes, but you were kissing him.”

Tora sighed dramatically as they reached the fourth floor landing.

“There is nothing going on between us. I was only curious about what it was like to kiss a boy. I doubt he would have done it if I had not asked.”

Kurumu frowned as they started down the hall.

“You asked him? I thought he would initiate that.”

“Ginei is more distant than you would suspect. Flirting is his way to keep things shallow and amicable.”

Kurumu was aware how often his antics lacked any strong desires. He had groped her tit last week and she had not felt a trace of lust. She recalled her first encounter with him and how he had made her weak in the knees with his lecherous thoughts.

“Well… he can be perverse if he wants to be. Don't dismiss him kissing you as another one of his empty flirtations.”

Tora shrugged as they walked through the opening into Tsukune's room.

“Thank you for bringing that up. Should I walk the two of you home?”

Kurumu set his bag down next to his closet while Tora put the hamper beside the door. Kurumu held the bottle out for Tora, which the girl grimaced at. Taking it from her, Tora gently swirled the contents as she wandered back to the door.

“We're spending the night here.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You don't have a door, Tsukune. Tora is going to set her barrier.”

Tora placed her left palm on the open top and turned the bottle over. She shook the contents a bit. Righting the bottle, she flicked her palm at the doorway. She repeated the act three more times.

“Hold up. I don't think it's a good idea for the two of you to spend the night with me.”

“It's for your protection, Tsukune. Even a vampire is vulnerable when they sleep.”

Finally satisfied with the door, Tora moved over to the other front corner of the room to do the same.

“It's not like this is the first time I've slept in your room.”

Tora glanced over.

“Oh? How on earth did the two of you not do something?”

“She fell asleep while listening to one of my CDs.”

“Why didn't you wake her up and send her home?”

Tsukune nervously rubbed his temple.

“I didn't want to touch her.”

Tora shook her head, sighing as she finished up in the second corner.

“What is it that you want, Tsukune?”

“Want? I don't know what you mean.”

Tora wandered past Kurumu to the back corner nearest the closet. As the girl started on the third corner, Kurumu opened the closet and fetched his silver cd player from the top of the stack of discs he had set aside. She grabbed L’Arc en Ciel's Smile album from the top.

“You don't mind if I listen to this? I didn't get through all of your CDs on Sunday.”

“Sure.”

“I'm asking if you want to be in a relationship.”

Kurumu flinched, regarding the yellow case in her hands. The expression of the album was similar to how she felt.

“I don't know. I just don't want to be a burden to everyone. Even now, you're helping me. What have I ever done?”

“I'm not expecting you to do anything special.”

“Tora, don’t worry about it.”

“Be more assertive.”

Tsukune sighed, glancing at the door as Tora moved over to the last corner near the narrow window.

“Maybe it would be best if I became a vampire.”

Kurumu vehemently shook her head.

“You don't have to change, Tsukune. Nobody is asking that from you.”

“I don't understand this conclusion. Yukari said the Rite is potentially fatal.”

“I know that, but we can't continue doing things like this. I'm a burden to everyone.”

“None of us think of you in that way.”

“Tora, it's true. I can't do anything. When guys like Rikishi come at me simply because they feel like it, I can't always run away. Guys with speed like Morioka might not even let me run away.”

Tora sighed as she finished splashing the last corner. She placed the bottle on the floor against the wall and stepped back.

“You should not isolate yourself. If you’re always with one of us, you won't have an issue.”

“It's not like I can have a girl with me at all times. You might not believe it, but the guys next door have no clue. They've been harassing me all week about me keeping this secret of being a vampire.”

Tora made a few quick gestures, her body glowing slightly. She smiled as the glow faded, her barrier set.

“Maybe we should let Kamitsuku know.”

Tsukune shook his head.

“No. I don't want to place this burden on more people.”

“Tsukune. What would your family think?”

“She's right, Tsukune. This Rite is a permanent fix for a temporary problem. High school does not last forever.”

“Three years is a long time. Look at how much has happened to me in the first two months.”

Kurumu exchanged a glance with Tora. They both knew this was true.

“Tsukune…”

“I don't want to be all powerful. I don't want to look for fights. But I don't want to be in a position where all I can do is beg for some lunatic not to kill my friends. I don't want to put any of you in a position where you have to risk your lives because I can't take care of myself.”

Kurumu smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Tsukune. You'll die. This kind boy that came to this school will be gone.”

“What choice do I really have, Kurumu? If I could stay as I am, I would.”

Tora sighed.

“You could always leave the school. Maybe not right away, but you could try applying for a transfer at the start of the next term. Pass an entrance exam. Keep in touch.”

“I don't want to leave this school. What would happen to Moka without me around?”

Kurumu clutched her chest. She looked at his feet.

“So you would become a vampire for Moka.”

“But we all agreed that I'm the only one that can remove her seal. That's why I was allowed to enroll in this school.”

“No. I understand, Tsukune.”

She was pulled into an embrace. She sighed, quickly realizing Tora was holding her close. She relaxed against the girl, placing her cheek on Tora's shoulder.

“I swear this is not only about Moka. This is about everybody and what I feel is best.”

“What would be best is if you were more assertive. What are you intentions with Kurumu?”

“Intentions?”

Kurumu tried pulling away, but the girl had a firm grip about her neck and shoulders. She sighed.

“Tora, please don't.”

“Yes. Are you going to start properly dating this girl or continue avoiding her?”

She felt a surge of desire from him. Kurumu reached between them to fix her tank top that had shifted too much to expose her left breast.

“I'm worried that we will rush things if I push even the slightest bit. If she hadn't started crying, I doubt we would still be virgins.”

Fingers brushed through her hair, catching her ribbon and pulling it free.

“You were crying?”

Kurumu shrugged, hugging Tora tighter as she nuzzled her cheek on Tora's shoulder. It felt nice with her hair down.

“A little.”

“How far did you go?”

“It was before doing laundry. Most of my clothes were off.”

Tora sighed, pressing her cheek against the side of Kurumu's head.

“Tsukune. Are you a complete idiot?”


	3. Rowdy Girls

Kurumu felt so warm. Hot breath caressed her breasts as weight pressed against her back. She was lying on her side, her head resting on a pillow. Her eyes fluttered open, aware of the soft purr in her arms. Fingers touched her below her breast as another arm was draped over hers from behind. The girl in her arms shifted, using Kurumu’s arm as a pillow. Tora breathed deeply, making that soothing purr sound with every exhale. In her sleep, Kurumu had hooked her thigh over the girl’s hip.

Tsukune was pressed against her, most of his weight settled on her upper back. She could hear him breathing behind her head. His hand that he had draped over her was touching the back of hers which she had placed on Tora’s shoulder.

They had not turned in like this. After pulling out the bedding, she had lain down with Tora and had listened to that CD. Tora had been facing the other way. They had not talked much and she only remembered four or five of the songs. Tsukune must have put the CD player away as she felt no earphones and did not see the silver device on the pillow.

She withdrew her thigh, arching the small of her back to push against him. She could tell she was in the right spot as she felt something stiff beneath the fabric. She wiggled slowly, not wanting to disturb the girl in her arms. She slipped her hand out from beneath his to reach over and entwine her fingers in his.

“Tsukune?”

She could tell he was waking as his arousal was steadily rising. She breathed in deeply, nuzzling against the pillow as she squeezed his hand. She heard him make a slight groan as he shifted away from her. She tugged on his hand to keep his weight close.

“... Kurumu?”

He yawned, lifting his head up from the pillow. She continued her deliberate grind on his crotch. He groaned, pulling his lower body away.

“Please don’t do that.”

Kurumu smiled, closing her eyes.

“You know, Nerume’s sister says spooning is a comfortable way for a girl to lose her virginity.”

He drew his captured hand up to the side of her face. Realizing his intent, she put her hand back on Tora’s shoulder as his fingertips caressed her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Kurumu. I was confused and worried. I didn’t think that was rejecting you.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I thought I was doing the mature thing by holding back.”

“It was the right thing. I was pushing too hard.”

He sighed.

“I’m sure you realize how much I want to.”

She reached up to touch his hand. Grabbing his hand, she turned her head slightly as she guided his palm to her lips. She kissed his warm skin softly.

“I want to, but I feel like my heart isn’t ready for it. When you started crying, I felt so relieved. I started hoping you weren’t ready either.”

“It’s okay, Tsukune. We’ll try again later.”

“I’m sorry, Kurumu. I really am.”

She guided his hand from her lips to rest his fingers in Tora’s raven locks. The girl did not stir, continuing to let out those gentle purrs with each exhale.

“Is that Tora?”

“Mhm.”

He shifted up, leaning over Kurumu’s side.

“She’s purring.”

Kurumu pulled the girl in closer, kissing the top of Tora’s head. The alarm started sounding off from somewhere behind Tsukune. She smiled as Tora groaned, pushing gently against her torso with her small hands.

“I know you think you’re weak Tsukune, but you’re not the only one.”

Her thoughts drifted to Tora’s room the day after the confrontation with Kuyo. The haunted look in Tora’s eyes had stirred her heart. The crystal tears falling from Shirayuki’s eyes. Unari’s expression when she had been desperate to find any news about Nerume. The wavering in Tokori’s eyes when she heard about her friend’s death at the hands of the student police.

“All of us are more fragile than you think.”

Tora struggled to get her head up. She pushed a hand up between them to rub her left eye as she yawned. Licking her lips, she glanced about. She smiled, taking in a deep breath and another yawn.

“Morning.”

“So how was your first threesome?”

Tora huffed, squeezing Kurumu’s left tit.

“It’s too early for innuendo. What time is it?”

Tsukune rolled away to silence the alarm. He got up and headed over to the closet.

“Six thirty. I’m going to shower.”

Kurumu rolled onto her back, stretching her left arm up over her head. As she drew her knees up, Tora sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Shall we join you?”

“I wish.”

He yanked his closet door open, quickly fetching a towel and a pair of black boxers. Tossing the towel over his shoulder, he grabbed a green, soap box and a white bottle of shampoo.

“We need to get going. I like to take a shower every morning.”

Kurumu gestured to Tsukune as he was heading to the door.

“He wished we would join him.”

Tora snorted, standing up. As Tsukune left the room, Tora pressed a finger to her lips. She kissed it and turned her palm up. With a sharp inhale, the barrier about them vanished. She closed her palm, bringing the tiny fist against her chest.

“Get up. We need to hurry.”

Kurumu nodded, picking herself up off the floor. They had placed their shoes and all of their textbooks in her hamper last night. Tora handed over the canary halter top they had set aside. Kurumu tugged her corduroy tank top off, discarding it in the hamper. She quickly pulled the halter top over her torso.

“How do you manage?”

Tora picked up the hamper, shaking her head.

“Huh?”

“Those breasts. Seriously.”

Kurumu chuckled as they started for the door.

“Maybe if you prayed to the boob fairy, she would grant you bigger ones.”

“I’m content with what I have.”

They slinked out into the hallway, the floor a bit chillier than last night. Tora yawned. There was a slight nip in the air as they approached the open end of the hall, Kurumu’s nipples reacting to the cold.

“Should we remind Kamitsuku about joining you for that student council meeting?”

Tora snorted as they walked by the boy’s door.

“No. I’d rather not announce to everyone that we spent the night here. Thankfully it looks like most of the boys are still sleeping.”

Kurumu nodded as they crossed over the empty frame into the brisk morning air. She stretched her arms over her head as she eased her wings out. She gestured to the half wall that the railing was mounted to.

“Get up on that.”

“Huh?”

“Climb up that. We’ll take off from here.”

“Can’t we walk down the stairs first?”

“What for?”

Tora frowned. She wandered over to the corner of the landing. She heaved the hamper up onto the narrow ledge before clambering up next to it. She picked the black wicker basket back up, shifting her weight to balance on the small width of concrete.

Kurumu hopped up next to the girl, grabbing Tora by the waist.

“Ready?”

Kurumu turned and fell backwards, letting her body weight pull the girl off the ledge. Tora yelped in alarm, but Kurumu effortlessly shifted her center of gravity to roll them about. With Tora facing the ground, Kurumu pumped her wings once to shoot them across the sky.

“See? Much easier if you’re already falling.”

“Dear God don’t do that to me! You’re lucky I didn’t drop this!”

Kurumu laughed, pulling the girl up closer.

“Count the times I use my wings. You’ll quickly see why flying is so much better than walking. We don’t even need our shoes.”

With the fourth thrust, they were already to the dining hall.

* * *

Kurumu was a free woman. No longer was she bound by the chains of remedial lessons. From here on out she would have the freedom to do whatever she wanted on her Saturday mornings. She could even sleep in if her body’s alarm clock allowed her.

She took a seat at the round table as the other three girls did the same. They had ate lunch together in the dining hall, but Kurumu had wanted to check on Meirowasa before they wandered about Mononoke to kill their free time. They were dressed in their school outfits despite having stopped back at the dorms, though Sakamori was the only one that had kept her green school jacket. Their schoolbags were filled with clothes for tonight and tomorrow. Other than that, Kurumu had only brought a brush, figuring one day without a morning shower would not kill anyone.

Sakamori had failed the retest. Unari had razzed the girl all through lunch about it and it had been difficult to not join in. For the most part the questions had only been reordered. Kurumu had cruised through the retest, actually scoring an 84 on the English part. Her math had still been in the seventies, but at least it passed.

None of her classmates had failed the retest. Neither had any students from class one or class two. Sakamori had been dismissive because there had been one boy in her class that had also failed, but that was clearly a minority. If Kurumu had not heard from Shinayaka from class six that half her group had failed the retest, she would have worried even more.

A gentle, soothing song was playing over the speakers as she glanced about the café. There were many of these cherry varnished tables with matching chairs arranged to make the most of the open space. A couple booths had been set up in the corner where the windows met the far wall. Green paneling rose up from the black wood floor to meet the cream walls halfway up to the open structure. White fans spun lazily overhead, suspended by black pipes anchored to the ebony timbers above.

Unari Satsuki raised a hand, waving it to get the attention of one of the waitresses. Her sienna tufts were folded down at the sides, giving the appearance that her ears were hidden behind her tresses. In truth, those were her ears and they would occasionally lift up when she was trying to hear something. Her marigold eyes brightened when a middle aged woman approached them with menus.

“We’re friends of Meirowasa. Could she be our waitress?”

The brunette in the pale green blouse and black A-line skirt smiled at the request. Her sleeveless blouse had a white peter pan collar. This must be the standard outfit since the other waitress had the same getup though with a different colored blouse. The woman set a couple menus on the table and nodded.

“I’ll fetch her for you.”

“Thanks, Ma’am.”

Kurumu suspected if things had been busier, the woman would have simply taken their order. With it being a little after one forty, most of the afternoon rush was over. There were only five other groups in here, mostly couples chatting or staring dreamily at each other, though there was one family with an infant and a toddler.

“Good drinsh here?”

Sakamori grabbed up one of the menus, letting it fall open in her hands. She had a goofy grin as she regarded the lunch items. Her body wobbled in the chair, so she sat back against the stiff rails that spanned between the square posts.

Unari shook her head, taking the other menu and holding it open for Nerume.

“I hope she’s not like this all day.”

Kurumu chuckled. Unari had bought a drink for Sakamori during lunch to see Sakamori’s demonstrate her powers. Sure enough the redhead shojo had turned that orange juice into a screwdriver which Unari had taste tested to confirm was real.

“How long does it take you to sober up?”

Sakamori frowned, looking over the menu at the ebony haired girl. Genzouyaki Nerume was the shortest girl of their group. While most of her long locks fell freely down past her shoulders, a good swath had been pulled up into a loose ponytail on the left side of her head.

“Why wood I do tha?”

Nerume grinned.

“So you won’t frighten Ms. Meirowasa’s mother. She’ll worry if you’re stumbling all over the place.”

“Heh. Losh of fun tonai.”

Kurumu reached over and swiped the menu out of Sakamori's loose grip. She smiled at the girl before perusing the options. They should at least buy some drinks to be polite. She was not in the mood for tea or juice, but they had mugicha on the menu.

“Afternoon, Ms. Kurono. Ms. Sakamori.”

Kurumu smiled, glancing over her shoulder at their waitress. Tokori was wearing a faded pink blouse that had a small golden tag pinned above her left breast that declared her surname. She had a small booklet in her hand and a pen in the other. Handing the menu back to Sakamori, Kurumu gestured to Tokori.

“This is Meirowasa Tokori from class five. She will be our host for the evening.”

Tokori bowed her head slightly.

“I was doing dishes, but I was told a bunch of school girls wanted my services. I figured it was either you or Shindou.”

“Asuka stops by here?”

Tokori rolled her eyes.

“She did last weekend. She's such a nuisance.”

“I think she's nice.”

“Are you guys ordering anything? I'm still working till four.”

“How much hours do you work?”

“Eight to ten a weekend. It's not like a full time job.”

Nerume giggled, waving to the girl.

“Before we get too sidetracked, I'm Genzouyaki Nerume from Kurumu's class. This is my friend from junior high, Unari Satsuki. She's from class two. I want to thank you for having us over tonight.”

Tokori waved her hand with the pen dismissively.

“Yea, sure. Are any of you planning to order something?”

“I'll have some mugicha.”

Tokori promptly wrote down her order.

“I'll hash sake.”

“No.”

“Amazake?”

“I suppose.”

Sakamori grinned.

“Amazake for me.”

“I'll have some Oolong.”

“Same here.”

“Anything else? We do have some sweets if you guys don't mind apple or cinnamon pie.”

Nerume groaned, forlornly regarding the menu. She glanced over at Unari.

“Don't.”

“It's not like I ever gain weight.”

“But I do and I don't want to watch you eating pie.”

Tokori chuckled.

“Is that going to be all?”

Kurumu grinned, taking the menu from Sakamori and handing it up to Tokori.

“I believe so.”

“Okay then. I'll have that out for you quickly.”

Nerume leaned across the table to hand her menu over. Tokori smiled, taking it and walking away through an employee door next to the front counter.

On the other side of this white counter with the gray and black marble top, a burly man tended the register. He was looking down at a newspaper. Kurumu was mildly curious if that was authored by humans or if there was some prefectural service. She was well aware that they did not compete with a local paper, else the task of drumming up sponsors would have been futile.

“Hey, Hinoko. Do you know if there is a newspaper run by the monsters of the Niigata prefecture?”

“Hmm?”

“You're from Gosen, so I figured you might know if your parents ever read a paper.”

The girl shrugged. Sighing, she placed her elbow on the table and leaned her cheek to her palm.

“When will we star drinkin? I'm bored.”

Kurumu chuckled, noting it was still not two.

“It will be a long time before we get to that, Hinoko.”

“Bah.”

“So how are things going in your club?”

“Huh?”

“Your club. The one you're in with Shirayuki and Kinzoku.”

Sakamori shrugged.

“Shirayuki doan come. Kinzoku says she'sh going home.”

“What?”

“She'sh done. Hate school. Leave affer nex teshs.”

Unari sighed.

“That sucks. I don't want to be the only girl in shop.”

“You can always switch electives.”

Unari grunted with disgust.

“As if I would waste my time in the choir.”

“The choir girls were a lot of fun to interview. I think you would be fine.”

“Nobody wants to hear my caterwauling.”

“You okay, Hinoko? I know Kinzoku was an important friend for you.”

The redhead slouched back in her seat and grinned.

“Ish fine. I hash losh of frensh.”

“Of course. The other girls from Gosen, right? Natsudera and Akushita both know you.”

Sakamori shook her head.

“No. Not them. They up on seven floor. Not see them much.”

Kurumu nodded, aware that the other Gosen girl was her neighbor. She knew how living on separate floors did create some distance, but it was easily overcome with effort.

“You could always visit them.”

“I mai. Spoz. Not much fun on my floor withow Kinzoku.”

“She was missing for weeks.”

Sakamori shrugged.

“What about Senjo? You talk about her all the time.”

“She leave lass Sunday. Breakup Inui too hard. Too embarish.”

Kurumu grimaced. Sakamori had not said a word about that all week. Then again, the girl had not spoken at all about Senjo. Most of her gibberish had been about Kinzoku and how things were better.

“Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't say anything.”

“Bah. Happens. Still hash losh of frens. Theresh the Yagi boysh from club. Hatsuro ish in my class.”

The redhead touched her fingers as she rambled off each name.

“Then theresh Oyobi and Omokao. Tsuzumiya. Ketsuyama.”

Kurumu giggled, shaking her head. She placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder, giving a squeeze.

“Okay, okay. We got it. You have tons of friends.”

“Yesh. And you all my frens. And we have good drinksh tonai.”

Kurumu smiled, thinking any other girl would probably be more upset. Tokori stepped into view with a tray in her hands. The waitress set down Kurumu’s drink first, the muchiga filled to the brim of the clear glass. She scooted closer to the table to pick up the glass, hearing the ice clink as it shifted in the brown mixture. She took a small swig, pleased with the simple taste.

“Let me know if you need anything else.”

“You could leave the bill with me.”

Kurumu glanced at Unari, mildly surprised.

“You don’t want to split the tabs?”

“It’s four drinks. That’s nothing.”

Kurumu shrugged as Tokori tore off the slip and handed it over to Unari.

“You can pay this at the register. I’ll be heading back to my dishes.”

“Hey, do you want us to come here and pick you up, or meet somewhere?”

“I don’t care. I can wait here till you guys finish doing whatever you want to kill time. It’s not like I have to run home the moment it turns four.”

Sakamori gasped out a breath, setting her black cup down heavily on the wooden table.

“Thash good stuff.”

“And keep this girl under control. Maybe take her to see a movie. That should calm her down.”

“Where is the theater?”

“You know where the arcade is, right? Well if you go down that road for a couple more blocks and turn left, it should be the large two story building on your right after the next intersection.”

Kurumu nodded, figuring there could not be that many two story buildings in this small town.

“Thanks, Tokori.”

Tokori glanced in the direction of the other waitress wandering about the café, eyeing their group with some interest. Tokori bowed politely to them.

“Thank you for your patronage.”

“Sheesh, Sakamori. Give us a chance to drink ours.”

Sakamori had set her drink down, already emptied of its contents. Unari shook her head as she held her cup with a small napkin wrapped about the surface. She blew across the top before taking a sip.

“We’ll see you later, Ms. Meirowasa.”

Waving at the departing girl, Nerume smiled. The small girl picked up her smoking cup in both palms, sipping from the lip.

“Doesn’t that burn?”

Nerume snorted.

“I have fiery hooves. This is nothing.”

“A gif fer you.”

Kurumu frowned, batting away Sakamori’s hand. The girl had touched the side of her cup. Picking up her cool drink, she sniffed the contents. There was a slight floral aroma that had not been there before. She took a slight sip, noting it was much sweeter than before. It was like someone had added sugar to it, but the aftertaste was much different.

“Is this still tea?”

Sakamori giggled.

“Did she just spike your drink?”

Kurumu shrugged. They had seen Sakamori do this to the juice earlier. It was not like the shojo had to open the can to change the contents.

“If you no wan, I can finish.”

Kurumu held a hand to ward off the silly girl. She downed another mouthful. The beer she had drank during that Christmas party had not been this pleasant. She recalled having to down almost a dozen cans of that swill to start feeling tipsy. While she had no idea how much of this she needed to get the same impact, at least it would not make her tongue hate her.

“No sharing. That goes for everyone.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t be sharing drinks. I got something in my saliva that could really mess you up.”

Nerume glanced at Unari before returning her attention to Kurumu.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said. It would mess with your head.”

“Like… hypnosis?”

“More like addiction. It makes people need me.”

Unari chuckled.

“That’s weird.”

“Is that cool with your boyfriend?”

Kurumu smiled at Nerume.

“Well… Moka had me all worried about kissing Tsukune and making him into my slave. I had one of our science teachers check into it, and she confirmed this would be an issue.”

Nerume nodded, taking another sip of her drink.

“But yea. I told Tsukune about it first, and he seems to think it won’t be a problem.”

“That’s sweet of him. I don’t think I could be in a relationship without kissing. That’s like something you assume is going to happen.”

“I’ve not really thought much about that stuff. As long as the guy isn’t trying to pet me or fuck with my tail, I’m good.”

Nerume giggled.

“You focus too much on what you don’t want.”

“It’s important to know what you’re not going to put up with.”

Kurumu grinned.

“Well, the important thing is that we can do most of the other couple stuff.”

“So have you?”

“I did wake up in his arms for the first time this morning.”

Nerume’s eyes widened as she set her drink down.

“No way! Serious?!”

Kurumu took another swallow of her drink, noting the ice had settled to the bottom.

“Was it good?”

Unari laughed.

“She wouldn’t have said something if it was bad.”

Kurumu waved her hand dismissively.

“I said I woke up in his arms. We haven’t done that… yet.”

Unari sat back, taking another sip.

“I have to respect Mr. Aono. To sleep with you and not do anything… that’s… did you threaten him?”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

“Could you slow down a bit? You’re going to be knocked up like her sister before I even find a guy I might want to ask out.”

“This isn’t a competition, Satsuki.”

“I don’t think I have to worry about getting pregnant if we decide to do something. I understand succubi have a low fertility rate, which is why I’m an only child.”

“I wish I was so lucky. I’d probably get pregnant from kissing.”

“Don’t believe everything your sister tells you. I’m sure she got pregnant because she was having her brains banged out on a daily basis.”

Kurumu smiled, a bit envious with how close these two were. She wished she had history with someone like this. Kurumu regarded her drink, lifting it to her lips.

“Hey, Nerume. Have you ever slept over with Satsuki before?”

Nerume finished off the rest of her drink, setting it aside.

“We weren’t exactly close friends in Junior High. And Satsuki’s parents don’t like having people over.”

Kurumu swallowed down the last of her sweet drink, placing the cup on the table.

“I was wondering if Satsuki purrs in her sleep.”

Unari blushed, lifting her steaming cup up to hide her face.

“Why would you want to know that?”

“You know Tora, our class rep. She purrs when she exhales in her sleep.”

Nerume frowned.

“When have you slept with Ms. Nazohashi?”

“We’re in the same club. We’ve pulled a couple all-nighters on the weekends.”

Unari sighed.

“I purr.”

Nerume grinned.

“That’s so adorable.”

Unari scowled.

“You would find out anyways. It just happens. I think all of my kind do it.”

Kurumu smiled, gesturing to the girl. Unlike the rest of them, Unari wore the school issue slacks.

“I think you should embrace the fact that you’re cute. This tough girl act is not going to work.”

“It’s snoring. What’s cute about snoring in my sleep?”

“I guess it would depend on how loud of a purr we are talking about. What was… Tora’s like?”

“Soft. Gentle. The sort that makes you want to cuddle her.”

“Okay, nobody is cuddling me. I will sleep in another room, behind a locked door, if any of you try to spoon or molest me tonight.”

Kurumu chuckled. She noted Unari was the only one still with something to drink

“Are you an only child, Satsuki?”

“She has a brother four years older than her.”

“If you can call him that.”

“He is your brother.”

Unari snorted, shaking her head.

“What about tipsy here? Are you an only child?”

“Huh?”

“Hinoko is an only child.”

“Oh, yea. Jush me an mum.”

Kurumu smiled, recalling she had seen a picture of Sakamori’s mother once. The girl had been trying to show a picture of her friend, Senjo, but had shown the wrong one.

“Is she another drunk like you?”

Sakamori grinned at Unari.

“She’s an angel. Everyone says so.”

Kurumu smiled.

“I think she was asking if your mother is a shojo.”

Sakamori giggled, shaking her head.

“Nope. Thash me papa. Hesh on a journey to finz himshelf.”

Nerume chuckled.

“How long has that journey been?”

Sakamori frowned looking at her hand. She lifted the other, regarding it pensively.

“Seven? Hmm? Yea, seven yearsh. Seven yearsh and five monsh. On New Yearsh.”

Nerume glanced over at Kurumu, turning a soft smile to Sakamori.

“Your mother is an angel.”

Sakamori grinned brightly.

“Yesh. Everyone says so.”

* * *

Tokori’s home was located on the far end of the small town next to many other identical homes. The structure was much taller on the left side, the black roof sweeping down to the right. Tokori opened the brown, wooden gate and gestured for them to enter the narrow front yard. The masonry half wall from which the wood was anchored connected to the neighbors on both sides, creating a uniform enclosure. This privacy fence cut through the yard on both sides, likely connecting to a similar barrier in the back. Once they had all passed through the gate, Tokori closed and locked the door.

A pair of bicycles were parked inside a tiny covered stall on their left. The large square mounted at shoulder height on the front post of this open enclosure had a back panel that lifted up. The front panel was through the gate, allowing the mail to be collected without leaving the premises. Other yard items like the rake were tucked away in this space which had a counter with cabinets built in against the corner of the perimeter.

A paved walkway flanked the perimeter wall, leading to the back on either side of the house. Tokori started across the polished, colored stones that marked a small path which cut through the vibrant patches of grass. This path ended at the wooden steps up to a small covered porch. Wind chimes dangled from the overhang, stirring slightly without much protest.

It was a quarter to six. As suggested, they had taken Sakamori to the movies. The cinema was similar to the one back in Kengamine which she had visited only a couple times in her years there. Behind the ticket center which had the teller windows facing the exterior was the concessions. The wide hallway which divided the building had three theaters on each side and ended at the bathrooms. On the side of each bathroom was another theater, making for a total of eight.

They had no real opinions about any of the movies. Half were foreign films which meant reading subtitles. None of them had wanted to see the Detective Conan movie. Eventually they agreed to watch Constantine because it never mattered much what was being said in action films and Unari liked this actor from the Matrix series.

Tokori walked up the stairs. A few potted plants were scattered about the porch, some hanging from the rafters. There was a black bench flanking the door which had a couple pots upon it. Tokori opened the front door.

“I’m home.”

They stepped into the small genkan, noting a small door on the right which likely was a coat closet. Kurumu wandered over to the end of the recess, noting the room opened up more to the right with a brown, varnished stand tucked in the near corner. A television rested upon this, flanked by a DVD player and gaming system. A young, husky, dark haired boy was sitting on the floor in front of the television with a game controller in his hands, paying them no attention.

“Welcome home.”

As Kurumu slipped out of her shoes, she noticed the older woman moving towards them. The stout mother walked about the cream colored counter that divided the kitchen from the rest of the open space. The woman had shaggy, black hair twisted and pinned in the back to keep the coarse locks off her shoulders. She wore a short sleeved, square necked blouse. The white fabric strained from the push of her ample bosom as she bounded over to them with a toothy grin that lit up her mocha eyes. The number and shape of fangs reminded her of Koike from the student police.

“And these must be your friends.”

“Sort of. This is Kurono Kurumu and Sakamori Hinoko from my home economics class. These two are friends of Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu smiled, bowing slightly to the woman, aware that the other girls were doing the same. Well… not Sakamori, but at least she was being quiet as the redhead clung to Kurumu’s side. The girl had not said much after leaving the theater around five, only offering whimpers about needing a drink when prompted for conversation.

“I’m Genzouyaki Nerume and my friend here is Unari Satsuki. We thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s nice to have guests over. Kori never brings anyone over.”

“Mom.”

The woman dried her hands on the bottom of her blouse. Touching the side of her black capris, she regarded the boy whom still plugged away at his game.

“Yakusoku. Stand up and present yourself.”

The boy sighed, pushing a button on his controller. He stood up, fixing his green tee over his denim shorts. He closed his hazel eyes, bowing stiffly.

“Hello.”

The boy promptly plopped his round bottom on the floor, returning to his game. The mother grinned, gesturing for them to come inside.

“We’ve already started on the dinner. Mako is helping in the kitchen.”

Kurumu stumbled as Sakamori tugged on her. The redhead was trying to slip out of her shoes by stepping on them. Kurumu set her schoolbag on the floor against the closet wall. The living room had a low table and two couches. The back of one couch aligned with the wall on the left while the other aligned with the counter. A row of six white stools were pushed beneath the counter, suggesting it doubled as the dining table. A small, round end table was placed between the two couches to square up the furniture arrangement. The wall on the left had three closed doors.

“Mako dear. These are Kori's friends.”

Sakamori had finally succeeded in her clumsy task. Kurumu led the girl across the room as the other girls stopped at the counter. A young brunette with long flowing hair was tending to a steaming pot on the oven burner. She wore an apron over a sleeveless, indigo blouse and tan slacks. Her index finger of her left hand was extended into a wide point and hovering over the pot. A murky white fluid dripped from the tip which she stirred in the contents with the ladle in her other hand.

“Let me finish seasoning first.”

“You do spoil us.”

Tokori gestured to the woman's back.

“This is Yakumaru Mako. She works as an aid at the hospital with my mother.”

The woman's finger returned to normal. She turned about and smiled at them. She wore glasses over her blue eyes.

“That's not entirely true. An aid like me is not allowed to work the late hours.”

Tokori's mother walked over to the brunette, reaching over to rub Yakumaru's back. Both women looked like they would be about Tsukune's height, Yakumaru being slightly taller.

“So you girls are friends of Tokori? That must be nice having friends at Yokai.”

“Mako graduated from Yokai two years ago. She's been struggling to pass the entrance exam for Niigata University to get into the medical school. I keep telling her she could use the loft but she insists on living in that seedy apartment building.”

“I don't want to trouble you. You've already helped more than enough.”

Tokori's mother waved dismissively.

“It's a waste of your money. You eat half your meals here anyways.”

Yakumaru blushed regarding the floor.

“I don't have a stove at home.”

“Could you not do this, Mother? If Mako wanted to depend on someone, she would have went back home to her parents.”

Tokori's mother grinned, patting Yakumaru's back before moving to the stove.

“I can handle the rest, dear. Mingle with the girls.”

Yakumaru smiled at them as she walked over to the counter. Nerume and Unari had both taken seats while Tokori lingered at the end of the counter. Kurumu glanced about the wraparound counter, noting a microwave and rice cooker in the corner next to the stove. Along the far wall parallel to the counter was a two compartment sink. Beneath the last of the counter surface was a beige dishwasher. At the end stood a silver refrigerator.

“So this is what happens when you get recruited by the student police.”

“That has nothing to do with these girls.”

“Oh. So are you also outcasts?”

Kurumu frowned.

“Outcasts?”

“We're out of prefecture.”

Yakumaru smiled.

“As am I. I'm from Kaneyama, Fukushima.”

“That's cool. We're both out of Semboku, Akita. And Kurumu here is from Tottori.”

“And what of this little one?”

Sakamori clung tighter to Kurumu's side, nuzzling her cheek to Kurumu's shoulder.

“I'm thirsty.”

Kurumu laughed.

“You can wait a bit longer, right?”

Sakamori groaned.

“But it's been hours.”

“I will get her a glass.”

“Water will be fine.”

Yakumaru gestured to the kettle sitting on a warmer next to the stove.

“Are you sure you don't want tea? We made some for the meal.”

“She'll just change it anyways.”

Unari promptly backhanded the grinning Nerume. Kurumu smiled, tugging a stool out and nudging the redhead over. The girl groaned as Yakumaru wandered over to the dishwasher. She reached up to the overhead cabinets, tugging the white doors open. Fetching a glass, she filled it in the sink before bringing it over to them.

Clambering up on the stool, Kurumu glanced down the hall that flanked the kitchen, noting it ended with a door to the backyard. The left wall ended with a small passageway that looked like the stairs. Her eyes trailed up the wall, noting the wall did not continue to the rafters. That loft looked like it would extend almost the entire length of the house. That was quite a bit of space for storage.

Yakumaru handed the glass over to the redhead. The water instantly turned a murky white color. Sakamori took a swallow of the fluid, breathing a sigh of relief as she clutched the glass close to her chest.

“Oh, I see.”

Yakumaru smiled.

“That's about as outcast as one can be.”

“Mako. Leave it be.”

“Don't worry. She'd be useless.”

Yakumaru reached over and brushed her fingers through Sakamori's strawberry curls.

“You know, my mother is like you. She gave me this little gift of being able to make anyone feel good.”

She held up her index finger, allowing it to lengthen to what it had been before.

“It can be a sweetener or an anesthetic.”

Tokori snorted.

“And a truth serum as well as making someone susceptible to suggestion.”

“Those last two are useless. Fairy Tale has no interest in people with my background.”

Kurumu nodded, drawing conclusions.

“So you're part shojo?”

“Yes. My father is what the pure bloods would call a monstrel. No offense if any here are such.”

Unari snorted.

“Who is pure blood these days? We need humans to keep bloodlines from becoming stagnant.”

“Some kids don't count human mixing. It wounds their pride.”

“I could care less. I'll probably marry a human. My blood's pretty fucked up.”

“Satsuki.”

“What? If they met my brother, they'd think so too.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I'm not waiting for you to find a human boyfriend before I do something with mine.”

“I said marry a human. I can have a boyfriend before that.”

Nerume giggled.

“I feel sorry for this boyfriend you intend to dump.”

“First loves never work out. I may as well get it out of the way.”

“My sister married her first love.”

“Your sister's an idiot. Who has a child when their sixteen?”

Tokori's mother cleared her throat.

“Hey now. I had Tokori when I was sixteen.”

Unari flinched.

“I'm sorry, Ma'am.”

The woman moved over to place a plate of food in front of Unari. She grinned toothily.

“It's fine. I know my parents weren't thrilled about my youthful decisions.”

“You slept with your history teacher.”

“He's your father.”

“Yea, yea. The kind man whom took you in and left you this house.”

“Kori.”

The mother glanced at her daughter as she set down a plate for Nerume.

“It's no big deal, Mom. I'm not upset.”

“Yakusoku. Come sit at the counter. Dinner is ready.”

“Yes.”

The boy continued playing his game, not moving as his mother walked over to portion out another plate.

“So your family calls you Kori?”

“Please don't mention that to Asuka.”

“Oh, she's Asuka now?”

“Well… it feels rude to call her by her surname when she uses my first name all the time now.”

“Another friend? You really have become popular, Tokori.”

“Not really.”

Tokori's mother set the plate down in front of Sakamori, walking away to get the next one.

“I'm serious, Yakusoku. I'll have your sister confiscate the cords if you don't park your butt over here.”

The chubby boy sighed. The television made a few sounds as he navigated a menu. He then walked over to turn off the television.

“Asuka's a pure blood. Charming but ignorant.”

“Yea, I've known a few of those. They don't seem to recognize the issues of outcasts like us.”

“What sort of issues?”

Yakumaru gestured at her, regarding Tokori.

“Another pure blood?”

“Sort of. Kurumu's a succubus.”

Yakumaru tapped her cheek thoughtfully as Tokori's mother came over to set a plate down in front of Kurumu. A healthy pile of udon noodles mixed with chunks of grilled chicken and vegetables tempted her to start her meal. She noted Sakamori had already done so, though the other girls were waiting for everyone to be served. The little boy had taken up the stool farthest from them, leaving an empty space between him and Unari.

“I wonder if Fairy Tale would want her or if they would treat her no differently than us.”

“Mako, leave it be.”

“It's only a thought.”

“I'm a member of the student police now. I can't have you scouting prospects in front of me.”

“I'm not doing anything.”

“Kori, sit by your brother.”

Tokori's mother set down a plate in front of the young boy, gesturing to the empty space. Tokori nodded, wandering over to the empty stool. She pulled it out and hopped up on the seat, favoring Unari with a smile.

Yakumaru smiled, reaching over to brush her fingers in Sakamori's curls again.

“She's such a stubborn girl. Everybody knows her getting in with the student police was an empty publicity stunt. It doesn't change the way Fairy Tale regards monstrels or how the student police terrorized the outcasts for the past decade.”

Kurumu's thoughts drifted to what Lady Hineri had talked about yesterday.

“You know things will be different now that Kuyo has been removed.”

Yakumaru shook her head slowly as Tokori's mother set a plate down for her daughter.

“That's what scares me. Different is not always a good thing.”

* * *

Kurumu giggled as Satsuki poked her right tit. The cat girl leaned heavily against her side with an arm draped around Kurumu’s neck. Her hot breath reeked of the sugary alcohol they had been trying to finish off for the past hour. Satsuki giggled, cupping Kurumu’s breast and giving it a squeeze through the black tank top.

“Can I borrow some?”

Kurumu leaned into the girl, feeling unsteady. Sakamori had made way too much of this stuff. She regarded the two pitchers placed on the low table centered in the loft space, aware that one was still full. One pitcher per girl was too much for a bunch of novices.

They had broken out the pitchers after Yakumaru had left around nine. Tokori had led them up to the loft where they had pulled out a couple old, spare beddings and arranged it about a low, black table. Not having enough, Tokori and Satsuki had carried her bedding up from her room, which was large enough for two of the girls. Tokori planned to sleep in her mother’s bed or on one of the couches when they finished up.

The redhead had put up a serious effort, downing almost two pitchers by herself. Sakamori was sprawled across her green bedding. Her dark nipples could be seen through the sheer white slip as her breasts lifted with each breath. The garment had hiked up to her waist as the girl shifted about in her sleep, betraying her other patch of strawberry curls. Her cheeks were flush.

Kurumu lifted her glass up, brandishing it at the clingy girl.

“You finish the pitcher firs.”

Satsuki giggled again, pressing her lips to the side of Kurumu’s head. The girl let go of her, crawling over to the low table on her hands and knees. Her blue and white striped sports bra was slightly undersized, pushing the girl’s breasts out the top. The girl’s ropy tail flicked side to side, the fabric of her periwinkle, cotton panties slightly pushed down in the back for the base of the appendage. She leaned back on her haunches upon reaching the table, sloshing some of the pitcher’s contents on the table as she poured herself another full glass.

“Tha’s rude!”

Nerume wagged a finger at her friend. She was prancing about the room stark naked, her perky breasts not needing support. Wearing only a pair of earphones, she danced to HIme Hajime, a CD she had brought with. Her black pubic hair was long and smoothed down as if it was combed regularly. She also had a tail, though that ebony swath that swished about the back of her ankles looked the same as the hair on her head.

“You should ask someone to pour for you.”

Satsuki giggled, pushing the glass across the table.

“Fine. This one’s yours. Pour me one.”

Nerume gestured to Kurumu as she knelt down beside the table.

“Come. I pour for you too.”

Kurumu giggled, showing her glass which was still half full.

“I have some.”

“I’ll top off.”

Satsuki giggled.

“Your top is off.”

Kurumu smiled, setting her glass down. She staggered up on her feet, feeling the world spin as she got upright. She blinked, licking her lips as she reached down to recover her glass. Nobody could drink her glass. This was her glass. Only hers. They had marked it with a piece of black tape to make sure nobody made the mistake.

She stumbled her way over to the table with her glass in hand. She carefully bent down to place the glass on the table before kneeling down next to Satsuki. Nerume was filling a glass for her friend.

“Where’s Tokori?”

“She put her brother in bed.”

Tokori had commented on the time being after eleven when she had wandered down the stairs to deal with her ornery brother. The boy had been sent to bed before the time Yakumaru had left, but he had been bored and kept wandering up the stairs. It had not been that big of a deal until Nerume had shed her clothes, claiming she was too hot for the gray spaghetti string chemise she had been wearing. Kurumu had no idea how long ago that had been, but she doubted Tokori had forgotten about them. Tokori was undoubtedly the most sober of the group.

“Kanpai!”

Kurumu giggled, lifting her glass to clink against theirs. Nerume giggled, taking a hearty swallow from her glass. Her eyes lazily moved about as she regarded the glass.

“Tha soun dirty English.”

“Huh?”

“Nakadashi.”

Kurumu snorted as Nerume giggled over Satsuki’s silly comment.

“I should pour one for Tokori.”

Kurumu nodded as Nerume set her glass down. She filled up another glass to the brim. There was still a little left in the pitcher. Kurumu regarded her glass, unsure how much more she could put down. She kind of felt like she had to pee.

“Don’t drink this.”

Satsuki waved dismissively at her as she took a sip from her glass. Kurumu smiled, scooting away from the table and getting back up on her feet. The room spun as she wobbled on the balls of her feet. She placed a hand on Satsuki’s head as she stumbled around the girl, heading for the half wall that separated the loft from the rest of the home. She grabbed the rail, glancing over at the dark room below.

“Tokori?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Do they have snax?”

“Kurumu! Bring snax!”

Kurumu giggled, shaking her head at the tiny girl. Gripping the rail for support, Kurumu made her way across the loft to the opening for the stairs. She slowly made her way down to the ground floor, one step creaking under her weight. She leaned against the wall, touching the knob of the backdoor as she crossed the hall into the small pass laundry alcove. The washer, dryer and water heater were lined up on the wall on her right. She used the counter on the left as support while crossing the small room. The door to the home’s only bathroom was at the end of this pass through.

The bathroom door was the only one in the house that slid into the wall. Kurumu tugged the door to the left, discovering Tokori. The girl was hung over the toilet, her back flexing with her breaths. The girl had a pair of loose, white shorts covering her bubble butt. The girl glanced up at her arrival, her mouth flecked with fluids. It looked like the poor girl had puked her dinner, as flecks of food was smeared across the rim of the toilet and some had managed to get in the girl’s peppered hair.

Kurumu wagged a finger at the girl.

“Wash your hair.”

“My stomach hurts.”

“Move. I have to pee.”

Tokori groaned, crawling over the tiled lip that separated the bath from the rest of the room. Shaking her head, Kurumu lowered the lid and sat down on the toilet. She pissed herself before remembering she had these silly thongs on. Annoyed, she lifted up so she could tug the things off. She tossed them in the bath next to Tokori.

“You gonna be k?”

“Ugh.”

“You drank less than us.”

“Stupid fat shit gut kicked me.”

Kurumu grimaced as Tokori managed a slight laugh.

“Wash your hair.”

“Ugh. I don’t wanna move.”

Kurumu flushed the toilet. She stumbled up, wandering over to the bath faucet. The flexible hose was mounted to the wall, but could reach the girl. She spun the cold dial, water spraying out the end. She turned the stream upon the girl’s head, also making sure to hose down her soiled panties.

Tokori shivered, her bare skin prickling up. Her nipples quickly went erect through her pink camisole. She meekly lifted her hand to her hair, rubbing at her locks that were being assaulted by the water. Kurumu scooted over closer, using her right hand to aid the girl’s efforts.

“Do you have any snax?”

“Ugh. You wanna eat?”

“We still have a whole pitcher. Nerume wants food.”

“She’s crazy.”

Kurumu giggled.

“She’s drunk.”

“Is it good yet?”

Kurumu shrugged. It was dark in here. She doubted there was any more food in the girl’s hair. She reached over to turn off the faucet.

“What time is it?”

“Dunno.”

“I just wanna go to bed.”

“Come on. Bring snax up with me.”

Tokori groaned as Kurumu tried to pull the girl up. Kurumu stumbled forward, not the least bit steady on her own feet. She leaned against the girl, taking in a deep breath. The girl reeked of puke and it made Kurumu’s stomach turn. Grimacing, Kurumu hauled Tokori up by the shoulders.

The taller girl quickly steadied herself once on her feet. She pushed herself free of Kurumu, heading out of the bathroom.

“Fine. But I’m done drinking.”

Kurumu followed the girl through the laundry alcove and around the corner into the kitchen. She gingerly touched the walls for support as she swayed with each step.

“We should have some rice crackers. Mother restocks food Saturdays, but booger tends to eat everything not nailed down. Getting that PSC lunch was great, since that shit would eat all my lunch stuff before the end of the week.”

Kurumu giggled as Tokori searched the upper cabinets. She pulled out two bags of rice crackers. Cradling the bags against her breasts, Tokori walked by her. They could hear the two giggling upstairs.

Before they had started drinking around ten, they had talked about a few random things. Tokori’s mother was an inugami, which did happen to be the same race as Koike from the student police. After Tokori’s father had left for some family business in Okinawa when Tokori was four, her mother had taken a job with the local hospital to afford the home he had left in their care. She had no idea whom had fathered her little brother.

It turned out that her mother did not have a medical degree. Being a pure blood, she was allowed to have her job due to her years of experience at the hospital. A monstrel such as Yakumaru would have to earn a nursing degree to ever be considered for such an official position. As Tokori had put it, what would even be the point of working for a monster hospital with such a degree? Humans paid more.

Kurumu reached out to tug on the girl’s camisole as they started up the stairs. Tokori did not notice since Kurumu was using the rail on her left for support. She managed all the way up the stairs, letting go of the girl once they reached the top.

Nerume waved both her hands overhead from where she knelt. Her little tits jiggled.

“Food?”

“I have black sesame and black soybean.”

Tokori crossed the room quickly, setting the bags down on the table. The girl was promptly pulled down to her knees by the other girls. Satsuki hugged Tokori as Nerume turned her attention to opening the bags. She promptly stuffed three crackers in her mouth, gobbling them down.

“Whysh your hair wet?”

“I’m going back downstairs. If I’m on the couch, I should hear that fat boy sneaking out of his room.”

Kurumu giggled as she finally made her way over to the table. That boy had a heavy step and the stairs squeaked rather loudly under any weight. Tokori had stopped him twice before the last time.

“No. Stay and drink.”

Kurumu spied her drink with the black tape. It looked as full as she had left it. Kneeling down by Satsuki, she picked up her drink and took a quick swallow. Her stomach did feel kind of empty. She held her hand out to Nerume expectantly.

“I’m feeling sick. I can’t.”

“Please! We can’t drink this whole pitcher by ourselves!”

“So pour it out. Nobody said we had to drink it all.”

“But I can’t be defeated. Please!”

Tokori grimaced as Satsuki thrust a glass under her nose.

“I’m going to puke on you.”

Kurumu giggled, taking another swig of hers. She shook her hand at Nerume.

“You have stuff in your stomach?”

“I’m sure I have bile.”

Nerume paused for air, having depleted a quarter of the black sesame crackers. She placed two in Kurumu’s palm before popping another two into her own gullet.

“Slow down, Nerume. You’ll make yourself sick.”

“I’m hungry.”

Tokori sighed.

“Where did you put your clothes?”

Nerume shrugged, picking up her half full glass and downing the whole thing. She set her glass down hard against the table.

“Can we go outside?”

“What?”

“I feel like going for a run. It’s too hot in here.”

Satsuki giggled.

“We can’t do that.”

“Being human is boring. Let me run.”

She wagged her hand, which turned black and shifted into a hoof. A flame flickered at her wrist that startled Tokori.

“It will be fun.”

“No fire in the house!”

Nerume snorted, a gust of flames sputtering out her nostrils. She leaned up against Tokori, rubbing her cheek against the girl’s shoulder.

“Let me outside. You can ride me.”

Kurumu giggled, easing her tail out. She gave it enough length so that she could reach over and pat Nerume on the head with the spade end.

“Mmm… finally brought your tail out. Are we going to see the wings too?”

Kurumu smiled reaching over to caress Satsuki’s cheek with her right hand. She lifted her drink with her other hand, pausing to take a deep breath before downing the rest of the contents.

“We should go to bed. Let me take this back downstairs.”

“Aww… don’t. It’s not even that late.”

Tokori hefted the pitcher into her lap.

“It’s after midnight. Some of us have to get up by eight.”

“Can’t we do anything fun first?”

Kurumu giggled, bringing her tail back to her hand. Setting her empty glass down she cradled her spade end, letting it open.

“We could do something.”

“Your tail opens?”

Kurumu nodded at Tokori. She reached up to touch the shimmering stigma. Her body tingled in response, wondering if they should do it. Nerume could go for her run without ever leaving the house. And they could do whatever they wanted until they were too tired to do anything.

“This is my key to a dream.”

“Dream?”

“Mhm. We can do anything we want.”

Tokori frowned.

“How?”

Kurumu grinned. She let her two fingers on her right hand sharpen to talons. She reached over to her left ear, quickly puncturing the lobe. Tokori was concerned, but the other two were clueless. Nerume was finishing off the last of the black sesame crackers while Satsuki was busy cuddling Tokori’s side and nursing the drink she had been trying to force upon Tokori.

“Like this.”

Kurumu guided her tail up to where it needed to be. It worked so much better despite the ache of tearing her ear. She slipped her stigma into that sensitive spot. Her body tingled again and she giggled as all the girls looked about confused.

“Where did Hinoko go?”

Smiling, she whisked the four of them to the small pond on the school grounds. She giggled again as Tokori quickly stood up. The pitcher was gone, as was the glass Satsuki had been holding and the bag of snacks Nerume had nearly finished. Nerume staggered up, looking about with wide eyes.

“Are we outside?”

“Where are we, Kurumu?”

Kurumu grinned, slowly managing to get to her feet. She grabbed Satsuki for support, though the girl soon used her to climb onto her own feet.

“Can I run? Please! Can I run?”

“Of course. This is my dream.”

Nerume sprung over to them, hugging Kurumu and Satsuki. She looked up with excitement in her eyes.

“Do you want to ride? I’ve never given someone a ride before! You guys want to ride?!”

Satsuki giggled.

“Calm down, Nerume.”

“I could take you both at the same time. Come on.”

Nerume backed off a couple steps. She lifted her hands over her head, her torso stretching up. She swung her arms down as they turned inky black. The dirt cracked as hooves struck the ground, tongues of flame sprouting up. Her torso thickened and her tiny butt swelled till she resembled a majestic horse. She kicked up her back legs, her tail swishing about. Her back hooves came down with the same force as her front had.

Her face was gone, replaced by a long muzzle and flaring nostrils that snorted out tongues of fire. Her ebony hair had become this long flowing mane that hung to the left. Her big eyes still had that swirling, deep purple hue.

“Holy shit! She’s much bigger than I thought.”

Nerume whinnied, stepping in closer and bowing her head. The horse nudged Satsuki.

“You’ve never seen her true form before?”

“Why would I have? She would have to strip naked first.”

Kurumu grinned, supposing that made sense.

“What is going on, Kurumu? This really feels like we are outside.”

Kurumu giggled as she reached over to run her fingers through Nerume’s mane. The girl’s back was only at her shoulder level, which probably was short for a horse. Still, she was much bigger than the tiny horse Kurumu had imagined. She mildly wondered if her dream was impacting this, though this was not even close to what she had expected. This was Nerume’s vision of herself.

“We are going to ride Nerume.”

She hopped up onto Nerume’s back, grabbing a fistful of the girl’s mane. She held a hand out for Satsuki, whom timidly took it and clambered up on her friend.

“I have a feeling you will have to hold tight.”

“Huh?”

Nerume shot off like an arrow. Kurumu gasped as Satsuki squeezed her waist tightly. Leaning forward, Kurumu grabbed another fistful of mane as the trees flashed by them on either side. In moments, they hit a trail. It had been so fast in the woods, but then Nerume showed them what her real speed was.

Kurumu was vaguely aware Satsuki was rasping out curses against her back. For a moment, Kurumu wondered if this was how Tora felt when they were flying. But naw. She never flew this fast. This was insane. If they hit anyone at this pace, they would probably kill them instantly. Charging down innocent travelers on dark starless nights. Nerume did not need a rider to be lethal.

Kurumu smiled. It was time to rein this girl in.

With a thought, the four of them were standing on the concrete that ringed the swimming club’s pool. The fence stretched up on all sides, preventing the leaves from blowing in. The only opening was a small square directly above the pool. Nerume had been returned to her human form. Tokori looked about wildly as Nerume held her head. Satsuki was still holding Kurumu about the waist.

“What’s going on? Seriously!”

“Whoa! That’s so weird!”

“How did we get here?”

Kurumu giggled, turning about in Satsuki’s grip.

“You wanted these bigger, right?”

She touched the Satsuki’s sports bra, causing the fabric to vanish. The girl now had the same size breasts as Moka and most of the volleyball girls. Satsuki immediately cupped herself, giving them a squeeze.

“No way!”

“I can do anything.”

Tokori was shaking her head.

“Wait. That’s not possible.”

Kurumu walked over to the confused girl, reaching out with both hands. The girl glanced about nervously but did not back away as Kurumu touched both sides of her cheeks.

“It’s a dream, Tokori. Is there anything you would like to do?”

“I thought we were going to bed.”

Kurumu glanced at the girl’s lips. She looked into Tokori’s caramel eyes, stepping in closer as she let her arms rest on the taller girl’s shoulders.

“I can do anything here. Even kiss.”

She pulled the confused girl down, pressing her lips to Tokori’s. She reached up to the back of the girl’s head, pushing closer as she moved her head slightly, whimpering. This was the type of kiss she wanted. The kind she had shared with Moka. The kind she wanted to experience with Tsukune in the real world.

“Are they supposed to be kissing?”

Nerume giggled as Tokori made a soft, pleasing sound.

“It’s a dream world.”

Tokori slouched forward, gripping Kurumu’s sides for support. The girl pulled her head back, gasping as she dropped to her knees. She let go of Kurumu, leaning back on her haunches with a dazed look.

“My turn!”

Nerume snatched Kurumu by the wrist, tugging her over. The girl was grinning with mischief in her eyes.

“Turn? That was impul-“

Nerume yanked her down to give a weird kiss. It was either too much puckering or she was trying to nibble her lips. It was cute, but weird. Kurumu giggled when the girl stopped those quick, awkward kisses to catch her breath. The girl did another small round, pausing to giggle.

“What are you doing?”

“Kissing.”

“Mhm.”

Kurumu brushed the girl’s hair with her right hand. She yanked the girl in closer, bending her head to push her lips against the smaller girl. Nerume tried to do those nibbles but Kurumu parted her lips wide enough and moved her head to avoid the girl’s silliness. Nerume whimpered as she closed her eyes.

Satsuki giggled.

“You are not kissing me.”

Kurumu giggled in the middle of her kiss, feeling the weight of the girl beneath her. It was not like she wanted to kiss Satsuki or any of these girls. Not really. She wanted to kiss Tsukune.

They were on the floor. Nerume had that same dazed look in her eye, her body limp. Kurumu lifted up from the girl, aware that they were in a dorm room.

“Where are we now? Is that Tsukune?”

Tsukune was lying on the floor, but this was not his room. The television and the gaming system were familiar. This was Kamitsuku’s room. She had been thinking of Tsukune and that had brought her here. Strange.

“Kurumu?”

Satsuki was standing near the door, concerned. Tokori was leaned up against the wall next to her, a slight smile on her lips. The girl did not seem aware of the new surroundings.

“I want to kiss Tsukune.”

She crawled over Nerume to touch Tsukune. He stirred, his eyelids fluttering.

It felt like she was falling. She could feel the sand on her back and in her hair as his weight pressed down on her. She could hear the sound of the waves coming in. Then he kissed her and nothing else mattered.


	4. Ups and Downs

Damn she was horny. Kurumu sat up, groaning as she rubbed the heel of her hand against her left eye. Her throat was dry and her head ached. Her erect nipples and her little love button were sore, the carnal images of Tsukune chased away by the painful pulse at her temples. She groaned, realizing how moist she was and wondering why her body felt that was more important than her throat.

Hinoko was quietly sleeping on her side with a thin, brown sheet pulled over her body. Somebody had brought a black pillow to slip beneath the girl’s head. Her shoulder lifted slightly with each soft breath.

Tokori’s bedding was gone and the other girls were missing. The low table had been cleared of glasses and pitchers. Daylight filtered in through the six east facing loft windows, meant to brighten up the whole home. She wondered where she had left her wristwatch, recalling she had taken it off when changing into her sleepwear. Oh, she still had no panties. She let her tail uncoil from her left leg.

She picked herself up from the floor, groaning as a wave of dizziness forced her to stay on her knees. She could see the neighbor’s roof through the windows while on her knees. She doubted they had any unwanted spectators last night, though her senses had been kind of thick and hazy.

She heard hushed voices downstairs. Crawling off her black bedding, she used the half wall to pull herself up on her feet. She peered over, noting Satsuki was seated on a stool and Tokori was standing across the counter with a glass in her hand.

Both girls were dressed casually for the day, Satsuki sporting a short sleeved dress shirt that was balled into a tied knot in the front. The loose green and black checkered shirt was open, baring the girl’s black, sports bra. A pair of denim shorts with a frayed hemline clung tightly about her curves. Tokori was even more casual with a clingy, yellow crew neck tee and black cargo jeans with wide, flared ends.

Kurumu waved at the girls, though neither took notice of her. She stumbled along the half wall, dragging her right hand across the top. She turned at the corner, overlooking the single flight of steps. She thought she heard water in the bathroom, supposing that would be Nerume. She wondered if she should get a drink of water first or use the toilet. She felt too swollen to pee without much effort.

She gingerly made her way down the stairs, the wood creaking under her footsteps. She touched her left ear, mildly wondering what had happened last night. She recalled showing the girls her dream world, but there should have been a mess. One of the girls must have cleaned up her tail fluids which undoubtedly had pooled around the low table. She imagined she owed Tokori an apology, figuring their host was the most likely of their group to have undertaken that chore.

She wondered how many more days it would take for this itchiness to pass. She absently reached down to scratch the top of her stubble, not daring to attend to the lower parts that ached for other reasons. She reached the bottom of the stairs and decided water was more important. She veered off to her right, walking a short way before turning left into the kitchen.

Both girls looked to her before realizing their glasses were more interesting.

“Morning.”

Satsuki managed a smile. She spoke in a soft whisper, gesturing to her.

“Your top doesn’t cover.”

Kurumu was aware her butt and crotch were bare. She walked over to Tokori, touching the girl’s arm.

“Did you clean up my mess?”

Tokori favored her a soft smile.

“Are you okay? That looked like a lot of blood.”

“It’s not all blood. I was told the hallucinogen my tail pumps out has a natural reddish brown hue.”

Tokori brushed fingers through Kurumu’s hair.

“How’s your head?”

Kurumu groaned, touching her temple.

“Fine, I guess. What time is it?”

“It’s a quarter after eight.”

Tokori set her glass on the counter and moved over to the kettle.

“I brewed some Sencha. My mother also keeps a jar of pickled plums for when she gets a bit too loving on a bottle. She says it does wonders for a tormented stomach.”

“They’re good. But you’re supposed to suck on them.”

Tokori laughed quietly, pouring a glass of green tea for Kurumu.

“She ate her first one.”

“You didn’t tell me not to.”

Tokori brought over the glass and handed it to Kurumu. Smiling, Kurumu took a sip of the steaming fluid, feeling the warmth upon her hands through the ceramic.

“What happened last night?”

Kurumu smiled, taking another sip. She stared at the corner above the countertop.

“A dream. Though I might have gotten a little carried away.”

Satsuki snorted a laugh.

“A little? You had sex in front of us.”

Kurumu’s eyes widened. She shook her head. She remembered kissing Tsukune and feeling wonderful. She blushed, realizing she might have let him do more.

“No. That wasn’t real.”

“I hope not. Your boyfriend is much more assertive in your dreams.”

Kurumu took another sip. She did not recall much after the kissing. It had felt too good and she had been slipping away.

“That beach felt so real. It was almost like that time I went to Futatsugame, but the beach was smoother and the waves weren’t as cut up by the outlier rocks.”

“I’ve never been to the beach, so my mind fills in the blanks of what I think it should be.”

“That’s an impressive imagination.”

Kurumu smiled.

“I suppose.”

“Was Tsukune real?”

Satsuki gnawed her lower lip. The worry in her eyes made Kurumu wonder what had happened. Then she remembered that Satsuki had been topless and Nerume had been naked. That could be a problem. Not really. It was not like Tsukune would ever ask these two about some crazy dream.

“It was a dream, Satsuki. Nothing happened.”

“Well, hopefully your dream boyfriend doesn’t make a deal about me not coming back for my turn.”

Tokori chuckled, taking a sip from her glass.

“Yes, I would also prefer not to wander in your dreams, Kurumu. At least not when you’re drunk.”

Satsuki snorted.

“And horny. She still reeks of sex and booze.”

“You may want to bathe before interacting with anyone today.”

Kurumu smiled. She could tell by the dampness of their hair that these two had already bathed. That splash she had heard earlier on the way down the stairs was Nerume doing the same.

“What's this about your turn?”

Satsuki blushed as Tokori softly chuckled.

“Just something your dream boyfriend said when Satsuki tried to get him off of you.”

“You weren’t moving. I was scared.”

Kurumu flinched, worried what Tsukune might have done. In his dream state, it was hard to say what he might do. He was a healthy young man, being interrupted in the middle of having sex.

“He didn’t do anything, right?”

Tokori smiled, reaching over to squeeze Kurumu’s shoulder.

“You must have passed out. We were suddenly back in the loft with massive headaches and you were out of it.”

Satsuki’s cheeks were flush as she glanced away.

“Yea. Completely out of it.”

Tokori rubbed Kurumu’s upper arm.

“Anyways. No more drinking and dreaming for you. Take a bath. We already moved your schoolbag with all your things to the counter in the laundry room.”

Kurumu nodded, drinking down the last of her tea and setting the cup aside. She pointed at it as she backpedaled out of the kitchen.

“Remember that one’s mine.”

The girls laughed, Tokori grabbing the glass and moving it over to the counter next to the sink. Kurumu smiled, slipping around the corner and into the laundry alcove. All of their schoolbags had been lined up on the counter, though it was easy to spy hers. The little yellow frog with the swirly glasses dangled from one of the loops.

She wandered over to her schoolbag, undoing the latches to fetch her casual clothes. She had naturally selected her canary halter top, as it was the best suited for her wings. She had grabbed her other modified pair of shorts, not in the mood for the tight fitting denim. These white cotton shorts used to have an elastic band to hold it up at her waist, but the back cut had ruined that. They now would only hold up on her frame if she had her tail out. She imagined the tail would help her balance on skates.

Planning to spend the day without a bra, she added the lavender boyshorts with the white dots and pink lace hem to her clothes. She figured if she had a slight wardrobe malfunction, these panties were the best to be seen in as they were practically shorts, though these would be tugged down a little in the back for her tail. Cradling the small pile below her breast, she tugged the sliding door open.

Nerume was resting in the tub which was filled to the brim. Somewhat seated, the small girl had slumped into the corner.

“Five more minutes.”

Kurumu giggled, noting the toilet lid had been lifted. Plopping down on the seat and setting her clothes on the floor next to Nerume's, she tried to empty her bladder.

Nerume's eyes lazily fluttered open as she turned her head slightly.

“Oh. Morning.”

“Morning.”

This was not working well. She slipped her left hand between her thighs and massaged her sore spot just enough to relax it. She sighed in relief, hearing the slight tinkle as it finally came out.

“That was fun last night.”

“I guess.”

The water sloshed as Nerume crawled over to her, draping her arms over the lip.

“Are you really a virgin?”

Kurumu laughed. She held back from immediately confirming she was, smiling at the girl.

“You've dreamed of having sex, right?”

“Sometimes. Nothing like last night.”

Kurumu tapped her temple, wincing at the sudden spike of pain this caused.

“I pulled you all in here. I dream of Tsukune often.”

“So that was just an image of him?”

Kurumu smiled, wondering if she should tell the truth.

“Maybe. I've done this a couple times and I can't tell if Tsukune knows anything about it.”

She paused, feeling that was good enough.

“It's not like I could ask him if he dreams about having sex with me.”

Nerume reached over to touch her knee.

“You should.”

Nerume grinned.

“Plus I'm curious if that was real Tsukune or just some fantasy of yours.”

“Why?”

Nerume shrugged. It was hard to say if she was blushing or if her cheeks were rosy from the warmth of the bath.

“Before sis moved out, I walked in on them a couple times.”

She smiled at Kurumu.

“I was a little out of it after our kiss, but Tsukune looked… hmm… how should I say…”

Nerume brushed her fingers against her lips as she glanced aside. She glanced up, batting her lashes.

“Hung like a horse.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

“I'm being serious. I had butterflies in my stomach as I watched you two. I've never felt like that.”

Kurumu smiled, guessing being naked while watching two people have sex would do that.

“Does it hurt?”

“No. That wasn't real sex.”

“It felt so real.”

“You're not thinking about having sex with my Tsukune?”

Nerume laughed, shaking her head. She nuzzled her cheek on her arm.

“A little. More like thinking of having sex with someone and he happens to be on my mind.”

Dear lord. First Yukari and now this girl. Having finished some time ago, Kurumu reached back to flush the toilet before getting up.

“Join me?”

Kurumu smiled, supposing it would be fine. She pulled the tank top up over her head, dropping it next to her thong which was still here from last night. She stepped over the tiled lip and knelt down next to the girl, feeling the warmth of the water.

“I'm sorry about last night. I know that could make things awkward between you and Tsukune.”

“It's okay. It's not like I regularly hang out with him.”

“Yea.”

“Part of the reason I came to Yokai was because I had to get out of that house and I just happened to know Satsuki would be coming here.”

“Family problems?”

“Not really. We're a big family and we had a house about this size. My three brothers share a room and I used to share one with my sister.”

Nerume smiled, reaching over to caress Kurumu's right breast. Kurumu frowned, quickly moving her hand to cover her sore nipple. She pulled away and lowered in the water, so that these tingling spots were surrounded by warmth. Nerume frowned, leaning back as she absently ran her fingers through her wet, ebony tresses.

“I had not thought much about sex until I saw her doing it. She was so young when I first caught them, barely fourteen. I guess when you’re taller and have bigger breasts you look more mature.”

“I guess.”

“Of course she was scolded. He is three years older than her, but that did not stop her. She would sneak him in during the middle of the night, thinking I was asleep.”

Kurumu sighed, aware how difficult that might have been. She had spent the last three years in a house that had been occasionally visited by different men at all hours of the night. Thankfully she did not share a room with her mother.

“Have you told Satsuki about this?”

“Why? Satsuki's never shown any interest in boys. Yesterday was the first time I've ever heard her say she would date some guy that wasn't human.”

Kurumu wondered what might have been going through Nerume’s head while watching her sister. That dream might have been painful to watch.

“I'm sorry. You’re probably disgusted with me.”

“Not really.”

“I wasn't meaning to do that in front of you.”

Nerume sighed, resting her head on her elbow.

“I'm lonely. I feel like I'm being left behind.”

That was not a response she had expected.

“You’re not upset?”

“I’m envious.”

“I don’t know why. What I did was pretty pathetic when you think about it. Real or not, having sex with my boyfriend in front of you guys is… yea.”

Nerume smiled, staring off.

“You looked happy. Just like my sister.”

“I'm really sorry, Nerume.”

“It’s okay. It's just… I know that was all a dream, but that was my first kiss. It felt so real. I was so giddy and wired up and I don't know why I did that. I just saw you kissing her and really wanted to be a part of it. I did not want to be left out again.”

Kurumu crawled back over to the girl, reaching out to pull the girl against her. Nerume sighed, her small hand touching Kurumu's side as she rested her head upon Kurumu's shoulder. Kurumu brushed her fingers through the girl's ebony tresses about her ear.

“You're very pretty, Nerume. In this form and your true one.”

“Thanks. … … … … I'm sorry I masturbated while thinking of Tsukune last night.”

“Oh God, please say you're joking.”

Nerume hugged her.

“I had butterflies. I'm sorry.”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head. She had not really thought about it, but she wondered if any other girls were playing with themselves with Tsukune in mind. She had a hard time believing Moka would do such things but Yukari probably did.

“I guess I can let this one time slide.”

“I'm weird. It's not like I'm remotely interested in him. No offense, but Tsukune looks a lot like my twelve year old brother.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Oh? You did that while thinking of your little brother?”

“Well… you don't have to think of the face when you're fantasizing about being taken from behind.”

“You're such a bad girl.”

“I want a boyfriend.”

“You're going to end up like your sister.”

“I hope so. She's happy and loved.”

Kurumu smiled, supposing things always did look better from the outside.

“So what's this mystery boyfriend supposed to look like?”

“Sexy.”

Kurumu giggled.

“I'll need more than that.”

“I've never thought much about looks. Someone that makes me feel special.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Want to help me do my article with the soccer team?”

“Huh?”

She still had not worked out any details with Burumoto, but there was only one week left. She may as well spend the next few lunches with the soccer team to get those interviews done and worry about arranging the photos with Coach Kotsubo later.

“It's a good excuse to meet a few boys.”

“I suppose if Satsuki doesn't mind.”

Kurumu smiled, aware that Satsuki would probably rather come along than eat alone or with Nerume's tall friends. With two helpers, she could easily get all of the boys interviewed in two lunch periods.

“Tell her she has to eat with Goto and Kakeru because you'll be busy.”

Nerume giggled.

“That could work.”

Kurumu grinned, letting go of the girl. She splashed a handful of water at the girl’s side.

“We should clean ourselves before the other two start to worry that we're doing something else.”

“Oh, what else could we be doing?”

Kurumu smirked, splashing the girl again.

* * *

Flying felt much better with her hair down. The warm wind tickled through her unbound hair as she batted her wings to keep above the trees. Her purple lace ribbon was tied about her wrist below her watch, figuring she would use it when they stopped by the skating rink after lunch.

These cotton shorts were not as loose as she remembered. She wondered if she had gained a couple centimeters about her hips since she had worn these last fall. It was difficult to say as the only tight garment she owned was her modified, denim shorts and those had always been a chore to get up around her butt. All the school skirts had adjustable bands with generic sizing, suspecting her skirt could probably be worn by Nerume and Moka. She did have a pair of slacks she had worn once, but those had the same generic sizing as the skirts.

After the bath, she had politely excused herself from Tokori’s home, declining the pickled plum Satsuki wanted her to try. She had quickly flown back to the dorms, amused with the parting comments the girls had left her. Satsuki had slept on one of the couches downstairs while Tokori had used the other, mostly because little Nerume was all flailing limbs in the night. Tokori had also confirmed that Satsuki purred.

It had been a little after nine when she had arrived at the dorms. Knowing the service ended around a quarter after, she had ran up the stairs to her floor and chucked her things gracelessly into her room. Hurrying back down without even a thought to check the mail, she had taken flight for the small chapel nestled in the woods a short walk from the dorms.

The chapel looked different from above. It was a long, rectangular building with a three story front that stood up in a four cornered peak which housed a golden bell. The rest of the building stretched out to the north where it took the shape of a cross. Two small antechambers veered off near the end, though she had no idea where those things led to. The few times she had been inside, she had sat in the back pews, not feeling it would be appropriate to approach the altar of some God she did not care much for.

She spied three figures lingering at the stone steps that preceded the double door entrance. Tsukune was chatting with the two girls from their class. He was wearing a black tee shirt and denim jeans. She supposed that was fine and was quite aware of his small selection of clothes, but she kind of wished he had something more interesting to wear. He could definitely take a cue from Ginei. Their club president always dressed nice for the weekend.

Tobuyoku Suzume was the glossy black haired girl with the royal blue halter garment. That top had no back at all. The girl was wearing a black bra but she had not bothered to fasten the back hooks since she had let her jet black wings stretch out. Her long, French braided hair fell perfectly down the back between her wings. The golden ring fixed at the end of her tresses rested on the top curve of her butt which was swathed in a tight fighting pair of black micro shorts that hugged her lower curves like they were painted on.

Hanetsume Hatoko had her chestnut hair pulled back in a ponytail that had a blue ribbon tied near the end where it dangled against the nape of her neck. Her long bangs were pushed back by a black hair band that tucked neatly behind her pointed ears. Her long sleeved gray spandex shirt had a large opening in the back to allow her dingy gray wings freedom. Every flex of her wings caused a couple feathers to break free and flutter to the ground about her white sneakers. Her stonewashed jeans hung loosely about her legs but fit snugly about her hips and waist.

The bells sounded out, announcing the end of service. Kurumu circled about once, slowing her descent. She smiled as Tobuyoku noticed her, waving with her left hand as she rocked her wings and shifted her weight to her feet. This tipped her upright as she batted her wings once more, Tsukune and Hanetsume also noting her arrival. Her toes touched the ground as she relaxed her wings.

“Morning, Kurumu.”

“Morning, Ms. Kurono.”

“Morning, Tsukune. Tobuyoku, Hanetsume.”

From this vantage, it was a safe bet Hanetsume was not wearing a bra. She was pretty sure Tsukune realized this, as he did look a bit flush. At least the dark spandex only betrayed the shape. Hanetsume smiled, making a slight wave with her left hand.

“Morning, Kurono.”

“Will you be okay with flying, Hanetsume?”

“Should be. Flew here with Suzume. Thought I would lose all these darn things by now.”

Hanetsume reached over and plucked another feather from her wing, twirling it between her thumb and index finger. Shrugging, she dropped it.

“Mr. Aono was telling us that he’s from human schools so he’s not used to seeing monsters.”

Kurumu arched a brow at Tsukune.

“Oh? You’re being sociable?”

“Well… I was kind of standing here doing nothing and it would have been more awkward to not talk.”

Kurumu glanced at the doors, not recognizing the first couple of folks walking out. She had learned about half of the attendees were from Mononoke, as there was little reason to build a second church for this God in such a small community.

“Skipping church again?”

“It doesn’t interest me.”

“Poor Moka would be sad to hear that.”

“It’s not like this is a social gathering.”

“Mr. Aono mentioned you were from a Tengu community.”

“Yes. Kengamine in Tottori.”

“I’ll admit that I’m surprised you two don’t have long noses. I thought that was a defining characteristic of Tengu.”

The two girls looked at each other and giggled.

“You must read too much human literature.”

“We have beaks, though I’d rather not show it to ya.”

Kurumu smiled, having learned a lot about the history of the Tengu through her first boyfriend.

“In order to deal with the threat humans posed, Tengu started to use a more humanoid form in order to communicate. They seem to think they were the first to do this.”

Tobuyoku smirked.

“Every race claims that.”

“My ma says human girls are too easy. Why put up with all the nesting us Tengu girls need when ya can swoop downs and sow yer oats in human whores.”

Tsukune glanced nervously at the door.

“Does that work?”

Hanetsume sighed.

“Darn straight it do. Tengu girls have to adapt. We becoming more human to keep the boys interested.”

Tobuyoku waved a hand dismissively.

“Not that this is bad. Humans do seem to have a more personal way of breeding.”

Kurumu grinned.

“Kissing with a beak is not that romantic.”

“I think my ma would tan my hide if I stooped to kissing.”

“That’s country talking for you.”

“Yea, yea. Morning, Nazohashi.”

Tora smiled as she walked over to join them. She was wearing that peach halter top she had worn last Sunday with a pair of khaki shorts. The top was probably the only garment in her conservative wardrobe that could accommodate her wings. Her hair was done up in the usual braids above her ears.

“Morning, Ms. Hanetsume. Ms. Tobuyoku. That’s an interesting outfit.”

Tobuyoku shrugged.

“I prefer flying topless, but this will have to do.”

Kurumu felt Tsukune’s interest as it somehow involved her.

“I thank you for your consideration. Moka will be out in a couple more minutes.”

“So are we walking or flying over to this field you told me about?”

Kurumu flexed her wings.

“I’m fine either way. It’s more a matter of if Hanetsume can carry someone while she’s losing feathers.”

Hanetsume nodded.

“I’d feel wrong about dropping one of ya. Best we walk.”

“So how is your next article coming along, Ms. Kurono?”

“It’s fine.”

“You need to write it. I would prefer not getting to the next weekend with nothing but notes of forty plus students. That was not fun last time.”

“It’s not like we made arrangements for the computer room this weekend and I don’t get any free time with Ms. Kagome forcing me into her stupid extra lessons every evening.”

Tora pursed her lips as she stared off.

“Maybe you could drop by Yukari’s tonight. She has all of our software on her laptop.”

She smiled, thinking it would be nice to see Yukari for an hour or two this weekend.

“I suppose I could do that.”

“Heard from Senior Shiruba that ya did the choir. Not sure why ya would want to do a club like that.”

“I’m also doing the Soccer team.”

Hanetsume nodded, glancing at their class rep.

“What about ya?”

“I’m doing a couple of articles for the student police and the student council.”

Tobuyoku perked up.

“Student council? Will there be an interview with Sir Utsutei Mikado?”

“I plan to mention him. He is the vice president.”

“You have to do more than that. Sir Utsutei is possibly the most influential Tengu in the school.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Is this guy from your home town?”

“Not at all. Sir Utsutei made his truth known at the opening ceremony.”

Tora smiled softly.

“I understand Ms. Kurono and Mr. Aono were not present for the welcoming ceremony. But I do recall his brazen declaration. I was a bit shocked at his open defiance for the school policy.”

“It wasn’t defiance. It was embracing a system in which none would be judged by birth. Where all students were created equal and should not have to hide behind human masks to be treated the same.”

Hanetsume smirked.

“So he says but I thinks otherwise. Bet every Tengu girl in the school thinks bout getting his seed.”

“If adoration was his goal, he would have spared himself the limitation of admitting he was Tengu. Look at Sir Kaneshiro. He carries himself with the same ideals and the mystery of his true form continues to elude our seniors whom have known him for two years.”

“I don’t know what yalls see in Kaneshiro.”

“I am sure if you hosted a poll, you would find that Sir Kaneshiro and Sir Utsutei are among the most popular boys in school.”

Kurumu glanced at Tora.

“That’s an idea.”

“What?”

“A popularity poll.”

Tora grimaced.

“Too much hassle.”

Tobuyoku laughed.

“I wasn’t seriously suggesting for you guys to host a poll. But you could ask around a bit about what guys are most popular, and I’m certain you will hear those two names often.”

Tora shrugged.

“Those are elected positions. Of course those two would be well known.”

“I doubt Morioka would want an article about which boys are most popular in school.”

“I’m sure he would be fine if we also polled students over the most popular girls.”

“That’s not much of an article. I suppose we could write a short comment asking if such a poll would have any interest to the student body.”

Kurumu grinned at Tsukune.

“I’m curious where Tsukune would rank.”

The Tengu girls both chuckled.

“No offense, Kurono, but Aono’s not one to nest with.”

“Sorry, Mr. Aono. Hatoko can be blunt.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Moka had decided to stick with a simple, yellow sundress with spaghetti straps. She was probably wearing a white strapless so it would not be seen. The garment touched about her knees as she walked down the steps to join them.

“We were talking about how popular Tsukune was among the girls.”

Tobuyoku shook her head vehemently.

“Don’t listen to Ms. Kurono. We were politely stating Mr. Aono lacks the presence of other, more popular boys in school.”

“Aono’s notoriety comes from yalls. Weren’t for ya two, nobody’d pay him a first glance.”

Tsukune laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

“Well… we’re all here now. We should be going.”

Moka smiled, glancing over the winged girls.

“I wish I had wings.”

Kurumu grinned as the two Tengu girls laughed. Grabbing Tsukune by the hand, she backpedaled down the trail, gesturing for the others to follow. Moka frowned at her, walking quickly over to take his other hand as Kurumu turned about to face forward.

The tulip field was a long walk from here, as the cliff overlooking the ocean was all the way north on the other side of the road. It was easiest to walk to the road and follow its winding trail about the school grounds till they saw the sign indicating the Lover's Leap Landmark. It had taken them more than a half hour to reach it last Sunday.

“How was your yesterday, Moka?”

“It was fine.”

“Did you help her with her article, Tsukune?”

“I got tied up with the whole door repair thing.”

“I can't imagine fixing a door would take the whole day.”

“Well… it was one of those days where nobody knew what was going on. Kamitsuku and I thought someone would come by before lunch, so I was hanging out in his room most the morning. When we went to lunch and were chatting about the door, we kind of realized none of us had reported the damage to anyone. I had assumed one of them had, and they all had assumed somebody else had.”

Kurumu chuckled shaking her head.

“Kamitsuku suggested we get Umizake involved because he was tied to the student police, and maybe they could get some emergency response from the staff.”

“Did you manage to get your door fixed?”

“After dinner.”

“That's good. Did they take care of the hallway too?”

“Yea. It's not the best of work, but it should be fine till the staff takes care of it properly.”

“Huh?”

“Well… by the time we got the student police involved, there wasn't much time to pester the few faculty that might still be at the school. The dining hall staff was not interested in our problem, so Mr. Sabaku gathered up a few of his rugby friends and they 'fixed' it.”

“I'm glad you got your door fixed.”

“I'm sorry I couldn't help you on your article.”

“It's okay. Kana kept me company.”

“I'm surprised you could get that girl off of her drawing tablet.”

“She stopped by to see if I would be interested joining her friends for lunch.”

“Yea. Moka was eating with Kana and those girls from Fukui when I came over to let her know about the situation with the door.”

“I felt bad letting her come with me. I could tell she had planned to spend the day with her friends.”

“She'll probably spend today with them instead.”

“I hope so. I can't believe someone would break down your door. I'm glad nothing was taken.”

“You didn't tell her it was Hiboshi?”

Tsukune sighed at Moka's inquisitive glance.

“It's not like we know that for certain. If it was her, why would she leave the omamori?”

“The omamori? Why would Ms. Hiboshi want that?”

Kurumu glanced back at the other trio. The two girls must have coaxed Tora into letting her wings out. There was a clear difference in size. Tora's raven wings were massive, capable of wrapping her whole body if she desired. The wings of the Tengu girls were sized more like Kurumu's.

“I guess there hasn't been much time to explain this. While you two were resting up from your fight with that wrestling guy, we were learning about that omamori Ms. Yoshino gave to Tsukune. I guess it's something that belongs to Hiboshi, and that she might have to fight Tsukune to get it back.”

“I still don't get that. Why would she break down two doors and then leave it out in the open like that? Anybody could have stolen it after what she did.”

“Nobody would think to steal an omamori from your room, Tsukune.”

“That still doesn't explain why she would break down two doors.”

Kurumu sighed.

“You're trying to apply logic to this. Hiboshi was a mess. She didn't even come to school. I'm a little scared of what she might be thinking right now.”

“Well… I didn't see her at all yesterday.”

“That's surprising. I was thinking she might at least try talking to you about it.”

“I don't understand this at all. Tsukune was given that omamori because Ms. Yoshino acknowledged him as the one responsible for defeating Kuyo.”

“Lady Hineri tried to explain this. That omamori is something Hiboshi created more than five years ago because she didn't want to be married to Kuyo. She must have failed, so I'm guessing that thing must have been in Kuyo's possession.”

“It makes sense, but I don't know why she didn't try to ask for it back.”

Kurumu sighed, having gone over this the other night.

“Tsukune. She ran off the moment you told her where it was. There wasn't a whole lot of discussion.”

“I don't mean then. I meant yesterday. She could have said something.”

Kurumu shrugged, having no idea what Hiboshi might have done yesterday.

“Maybe she was embarrassed about breaking into your dorm room.”

“I guess. I just hope that if it is her, this issue resolves quickly. Spending last night in Kamitsuku's room was a bit awkward.”

“You spent the night with him? I thought you said you'd never spend the night in another guy's room.”

“After talking with the guys, Kamitsuku felt it wouldn't be a bad idea if I crashed in his room for a couple nights until we knew for sure that nobody was out to get me. Clearly a door was not going to stop someone determined to pick a fight.”

Kurumu smiled, recalling how she had found him last night in her dream state. There had been no signs of Kamitsuku, despite being in his room. She wondered why that was.

They were near the end of the trail which led to a parking lot with a few old cars. Letting go of Tsukune's hand, Kurumu skipped ahead to slip through the two black posts which flanked where the dirt of the trail and the lot's pavement met.

“Do you want to join me tonight, Moka? Tora suggested I should visit Yukari to write my article.”

Moka grimaced.

“Not really.”

“You should. What time have you spent with Yukari lately?”

“I see her plenty in school.”

“That's in passing.”

Tsukune chuckled.

“It's more than you think, Kurumu. We actually have club meetings that last longer than an hour.”

Kurumu frowned, supposing she was missing out on quite a bit with Ms. Kagome's lessons. The woman often came for her well before the half hour mark.

“Have you guys come up with something for her to write?”

“Not really.”

“I think we should just let her write what she wants to write.”

Kurumu perked up.

“What does she want to write?”

“I don't know.”

“She's made plenty of suggestions.”

“Yea, but it's not like she wants to write them. She's shooting out ideas only because Morioka is pushing for them.”

“I guess I can ask her tonight. Maybe even spend the night.”

Tsukune nodded as they reached the end of the parking lot. With a cursory glance in both directions, they hurried across to the other side. Grinning, Kurumu waved to the other three.

“You spent the night with Genzouyaki, right?”

“Mhm. I was with her and a couple other friends at Meirowasa's house.”

“I don't believe I know that girl.”

“You've met her, Moka. She's the girl from the student police that you saw at Mr. Sabaku's luncheon.”

“Yea. We didn't talk, but you said she was from your home economics class.”

“Mhm. She lives in town so we spent the night there.”

“Were you drinking with Ms. Sakamori?”

Kurumu batted her eyes.

“We were drinking water and tea, Moka.”

“Is Meirowasa about the same height as Unari? Black and white, shoulder length hair and was wearing a sleeveless pink shirt and white shorts.”

Kurumu flinched. She sighed dramatically.

“Why would you describe her clothes?”

Tsukune blushed.

“Sorry. That was weird.”

“Ms. Meirowasa does have hair like that. Are you sure haven't met her?”

“Maybe he was spying on us last night. That perfectly describes her pajamas.”

“I was not! Moka, trust me! You could ask Kamitsuku!”

Kurumu giggled.

“I'm just kidding, Tsukune. There's no way you could know what she was wearing last night.”

“Yea. Just some crazy dream I had.”

“Oh? Are you dreaming of girls you barely know?”

Tsukune sighed heavily.

“I'm sure everyone has strange dreams now and then. Not too long ago I had this weird dream that I was on a train with an older Yukari.”

“Do you ever dream of me?”

Tsukune blushed at Moka's inquiry.

“I don't think you want to go there. You're too innocent to handle the sort of dreams he has about us.”

“I'm not dreaming things like that!”

Kurumu grinned, wishing she could look Tsukune in the eye. While she hoped he was telling the truth about Moka, she knew he dreamed of the vampire. She doubted all of his dreams would be harmless.

“Moka. Do you ever dream of Tsukune?”

“No. My dreams are always about my family. Like fragments of memories before the seal.”

Kurumu sighed, disappointed that Moka had answered so believably.

“That's not right, Moka. You need to have dreams for your future.”

“It's not like we can choose what we dream about.”

“For someone that sleeps as much as you do, it seems a waste to have your dreams littered with things you don't fully remember.”

“I'm curious what Moka dreams about.”

“I already told you.”

“I meant like an example.”

“There is the one thought which crosses my mind frequently. I'm sitting in a courtyard, watching my mother speak with her attendant. They were close-”

Moka paused. She smiled softly.

“I'm sorry.”

Tsukune frowned.

“Why?”

“I shouldn't talk about these things.”

“But I want to know more about you, Moka.”

“This is not about me, Tsukune. This is about her.”

“Well I think she's important to.”

Moka laughed, shaking her head.

“Don't say that.”

“I mean it.”

“Not you, Tsukune. She's agitated now.”

Kurumu grinned. Weeks ago she would have been fine never seeing that violent girl again, but things had slowly changed. After the encounter with Moka's mother, it had sounded like the other Moka had gone quiet.

“I'm glad to hear she is talking with you again.”

“She resurfaced because of the fight with that guy. She was worried that Tsukune was being reckless.”

“I guess she would have to if Tsukune took off the rosary.”

Moka glanced at Tsukune and smiled.

“Actually, Tsukune did not remove the rosary.”

“You fought without her help?”

Tsukune chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

“Sort of. I mean, I have Moka's vampire blood coursing through my veins, so I figured I should be able to handle one fight.”

Kurumu frowned. She supposed that could be true. She still had no idea what Mrs. Shuzen had done to help him, but Yukari had not thought it possible to remove Moka's blood from his system. Yukari suspected there might be some undocumented procedure to revert the Rite of Ascension if it was started without the consent of both families.

“That was reckless.”

“I suppose it was.”

They walked down the road for a good few minutes in silence. Kurumu smiled noting the other three were comfortably keeping their distance while chatting with each other. She could hear a few of the comments, which was mostly suggestions on how Tora could exercise her wing muscles even in her human form. All three girls had their wings put away at the moment as they tried to demonstrate these techniques. Kurumu found it mildly interesting, as Takada had never mentioned any of these methods.

“I wonder what it's like to have another you in your head.”

“Hmm?”

“Your true form. You make it sound like she's a different person at times.”

“I guess she's like another sister.”

“When you put it like that, I understand why you would feel reluctant about sharing her memories.”

“I'm sorry, Tsukune. I have trouble thinking of things to share with you when it comes to my past.”

“It's fine.”

Kurumu sighed, wondering if she should have said something there. She glanced over her shoulder, noting the trio had their wings out again, the two Tengu girls flexing theirs.

“What kind of wings would you want, Moka?”

“I haven't really thought about that.”

“I think big, fluffy white ones would suit her.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Oh? So I get these demon wings and you want angel ones for her?”

Tsukune grinned.

“Sounds accurate.”

“Have you seen any Tengu with white wings?”

Kurumu shook her head.

“I've seen gray and light silver, but never white.”

“But there are white birds, like doves and swans.”

“Those aren't predatory birds. I'm not saying there can't be white Tengu, but I've never seen one.”

Kurumu waved to the girls.

“Hey! You guys can walk with us! We don’t bite!”

Tora looked up and smiled, nodding at something Hanetsume said. Tobuyoku said something and quickened her step to catch up to them, grinning.

“Sorry. She’s so… new.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just… she’s never flown. That’s crazy.”

“I told you this.”

“Yea, but… that’s crazy.”

“I’m sure she’s told you about spending her whole life in the human world.”

Tobuyoku nodded.

“She mentioned that. I figured her mother would have taught her to fly by now. That’s like an early lesson every Tengu is taught when their wings are full.”

“My mother didn’t teach me how to fly.”

“Hmm… I guess different species have different values.”

“Moka was wondering if there are white Tengu.”

“Like white feathers?”

“Mhm.”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s odd. There’s so many depictions of angels.”

Tobuyoku’s golden eyes widened with understanding.

“Oh! That’s different. Um… I want to say you’re thinking of Tennin, but I don’t know any personally.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Well, we might and wouldn’t know with all the rules about hiding true forms.”

Tobuyoku laughed as the other two finally caught up to them.

“That’s true. Hey, Hatoko. Do you know any Tengu with white feathers?”

“How white we talking bout? I’ve known some grey boys.”

“Like angel white.”

“Naw. Never heard of that.”

Tobuyoku shrugged.

“Yea. That’s probably a Tennin trait.”

“I thought Tennin had magical dresses that enabled them to fly.”

Tobuyoku giggled at Tsukune’s statement.

“I doubt any monster would have their ability limited by something they could take off.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Do Tennin really exist?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Everybody laughed at Tobuyoku’s admittance.

“I guess monsters don’t know much about other monsters.”

“Says the guy whom thought we had long noses.”

Kurumu smiled, falling in step next to Tora.

“Are they giving you tips on flying?”

“Some. My wings are already sore.”

Kurumu laughed.

“How?”

“Trying some of those stretches out.”

“You’re flying today. No excuses.”

Tora smiled, flexing her wings once.

“I’ll try.”

“How much farther is this field?”

Kurumu smiled at Hanetsume.

“We’re hoping for some privacy. Tora doesn’t like being seen with her wings.”

“Aono. Would ya be fine with Akashiya fer a bit?”

“Um… yea.”

Hanetsume pointed at Tobuyoku and gestured up.

“We can fly her to this field. That fine with yalls?”

“Wait! We should do this in the field.”

“Ain’t nobody here and ya have yer wings out. No different being seen on the ground or in the air.”

Tobuyoku smiled, slipping over to Tora’s right side and taking her by the hand.

“It’ll be fine, Ms. Nazohashi. You’ll have all three of us.”

“That’s not the problem.”

Kurumu grabbed Tora’s other hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Relax, Tora. I’m sure you won’t be dropped as many times as I was.”

“That’s so reassuring.”

“You have her?”

Kurumu nodded.

“On three?”

“Sure.”

Kurumu took a deep breath, rocking her shoulders. She felt Tora tense up.

“One… two... three.”

Tobuyoku pumped much stronger than Kurumu had, forcing her to make a quick second flap to avoid straining poor Tora’s arm. This was surprisingly much harder with the two of them as Tobuyoku quickly proved that she was a much stronger flier. Kurumu quickly adjusted her wings to glide upwards, only moving her wings to avoid being a dead weight.

It had taken Tobuyoku only four strong thrusts to carry them up much higher than Kurumu would have ever considered going. And then the girl let go.

“Holy shit!”

Kurumu cursed inwardly as she tried to tug Tora to her, but the girl quickly spiraled beneath her.

“I got ya!”

Hanetsume shot into view, grabbing Tora by her ankles.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.”

Kurumu batted her wings to guide herself back to a good spot. Tora’s free hand snaked out to grab Kurumu’s wrist. Tora was panting heavily, her wings tucked tightly against her torso.

“What was she thinking?”

Hanetsume chuckled.

“Open yer wings, hon.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Yea, stretch your wings out, Tora. We’ve got you.”

Tobuyoku spiraled about them, grinning. She came to hover, batting her wings back and forth to tread the air. Kurumu was only strong enough to do that particular skill for a few seconds.

“Come on, Ms. Nazohashi. You’re never going to fly like that.”

“Holy shit, you dropped me.”

“Of course. We’re so far up that we have a good half minute before we’d hit the ground.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

Tora timidly relaxed her wings out while keeping her death grip on Kurumu’s wrist.

“Can you feel the wind?”

“Sort of.”

“We should bring Kiki and Michiko next time.”

“Catch is easier with more hands.”

“Catch?”

Tobuyoku laughed.

“Think you could lose the wings, Ms. Kurono?”

“What?”

“I doubt she’s going to let go.”

“What are we doing?”

Kurumu had an idea of what they wanted. This was like what she had done yesterday morning, though it was up to Tora to properly glide. Kurumu smiled apologetically at Tora’s panicked jade eyes.

“Promise not to drop me.”

“What?”

Kurumu took a deep breath and nodded. She tucked her wings in as Hanetsume yanked up on Tora’s ankles before letting go. As Tora pitched forward with a yelp, Kurumu kicked her legs up. She quickly snaked her thighs about the girl’s waist, pulling herself close to Tora to minimize her weight’s impact.

“No, no, no, no, no!”

She could feel the air rush by as they descended rapidly. Tora’s left hand let go of her for a moment, adjusting to grab her by her head and press her closer to her shoulder. Her other hand freed to grab at Kurumu’s side, allowing Kurumu to do the same.

“Please fly, Kurumu! Please!”

“Got her!”

They were yanked abruptly. Kurumu caught a glimpse of Tobuyoku as the girl slithered in beneath them. She grabbed Kurumu by the waist and pumped hard once. The three of them zipped above the treetops, leveling out. With another pump, they angled back skyward.

“And yours, Hatoko!”

“Oh my God!”

They were sailing unassisted through the air. Kurumu took in a deep breath, her heart pounding at the crazy speed they were gliding. She lifted her head to press her cheek against Tora’s.

“Calm down, Tora. You’re gliding.”

“What?!”

“This is gliding. Move your wings slightly to change the pitch you want.”

“I want on the ground!”

Kurumu chuckled, feeling the wind rush by them. She glanced over her shoulder, noting the ground give way as the ocean stretched out beneath them.

“Darn. Didn’t think city girl would pick it up that fast.”

Hanetsume was flying upside down alongside them. She had her hands behind her head.

“Ya doin’ fine, Nazohashi.”

“How is this fine?!”

“Yer still in the air.”

Tora laughed, shaking her head. This caused them to pitch violently for a moment, but she quickly righted her wings back to level out to the former gradual descent.

“Oh God. This is…”

“Fun?”

“Oh my heart. You’re going to kill me.”

Kurumu grinned, letting go of Tora’s sides. She relaxed her legs about Tora’s waist.

“You realize this would be easier without me.”

“Probably.”

“Can I let go?”

Tora sighed.

“I hate you.”

* * *

Skate On was the large, nondescript warehouse at the edge of town not far from the cinema. If not for the sign with the black and white skate hanging over the door, one would not suspect this building was a roller rink.

The inside was a different story. One building bay was set aside for the ticket entrance, restrooms, skate rental and storage, dining area, concession stands and mini arcade. The rest of the building had been covered with a layer of varnished wood and was open for skating. It was easily bigger than the school’s auditorium. The steel structure overhead and most of the walls had been painted black, giving a dark atmosphere that was only broken up by the flashing, colored lights scattered throughout the building. Music played over the speakers mounted to the columns, some standing up in the middle of the rink. These protrusions were ringed by a thick rubber barricade for safety.

The owner had the simple request that they behave as humanely as possible. Tails and wings were fine as long as they did not hinder other skaters. No superhuman feats would be tolerated, as these skates were not designed for such strain.

It was difficult to say which of them was worse at skating. Moka had pulled her down at least a dozen times, but she had not been keeping count of her many clumsy takedowns. Moka had politely contained her awkward moments to Kurumu and the two people of their group that could actually skate. Kurumu had been spreading her love of the floor with anyone willing to take her hand. After the last wipeout, Tora was sitting on the sidelines with Hanetsume, nursing a sore shoulder.

It had taken a good fifteen or so minutes for Tora to accept the facts that she could glide and that the two Tengu girls had no intention of letting her hit the ground. The girls had gradually allowed Tora to fall closer and closer to the ocean, encouraging her to use her wings to lift herself back up. Unfortunately Tora lacked the strength to do this, needing one of them to swoop down and get her back up to a safe gliding elevation. It had been a rather uneventful two hours of practice, Tobuyoku helping Tora back to the tulip field shortly after Hanetsume inadvertently slammed herself into a wave while flying upside down and too low. The drenched girl had required Kurumu's assistance to fly back to land.

Once on land, Kurumu had made many apologies to Tora about the lessons. Having charmed her boyfriend instructor, Kurumu had learned to fly much differently than what apparently was the norm. Catch was the term parents used when teaching their young to fly. The parents would take their toddler up in the air and toss the kid back and forth until the child got the hang of it. Both girls recalled their lessons fondly, but understood why Tora had not found the experience as enjoyable. It was not like Tora had the same level of trust as a child would have in their parent.

They had walked back to the dorms before heading to lunch, Tora and Hanetsume both wanting to change into something else. Tora had swapped her halter top for a yellow, short sleeved polo and a bra while Hanetsume gave up on her soaked outfit. She had returned to the lobby in a long sleeved, beige shirt and a pair of blue track pants with the white line down the sides. She had also brought her two neighbors, whom had accompanied them to the skating rink.

Today had been her first official meeting of the two girls from class eleven. The russet haired girl whom had her locks help up into five different tails was Honda Kiki, a childhood friend of Tobuyoku from the Nagaoka district. The two tails that pulled her bangs to each side of her head were braided while the two in the back were fluffed and loose. Her last tail was a simple long swath she had been growing since birth that nearly touched the floor. Over lunch, the freckled girl had assured them that it took her less than five minutes to do her hair every morning since the braids were quick and the rest was gathering up hair and tying accordingly.

The tallest girl of the group, whom was a hair shorter than Tsukune, was Dangai Michiko. The brunette from the Onan district of the Shimane prefecture had known about their outing, but had declined Hanetsume's offer because she hated how her feathers felt while molting. Part of the gymnastics team, Dangai was the only competent skater among the Tengu girls. She also spoke with the same inflections that Hanetsume used, though not nearly as pronounced.

The other member of their group whom could effortlessly skate was Tsukune. While Kurumu shuffled along the designated pathway with Moka, Tsukune was skating backwards at a pace to match Tobuyoku and Honda. It was obvious that he was enjoying his moment of superiority, though he had humbly declared his skills were not that good. It was more a matter of them all being that bad.

Kurumu smiled as she watched Tsukune tentatively assist Honda to skate backwards. He was gingerly touching her bare shoulder and tugging the fabric of her plum blouse, trying his best not to make any firm contact. Honda, whom was about Moka's height, glanced over her shoulder with a focused expression while Tobuyoku laughed each time she stumbled.

Honda was the least athletic of the Tengu girls. The most girly of the group, she was the only one with glitter painted nails, cherry lip gloss and was wearing a ruffled black skirt which hung halfway down her thighs. She had joined a recreation club whom mostly played cards, board games and goofed off. Tsukune had asked if it was like the arcade club which Takoshine and Kinusawa were a part of, but Honda had stated they did not dull their minds with electronics. Tobuyoku had playfully added that Honda had joined that club to be with her big brother, whom was a third year and club president.

Kurumu stumbled, tugging on Moka's arm. She quickly righted herself as they both came to an awkward stop. Moka sighed, shaking her head as they started back on the path at their snail's pace.

“For someone talking about her ability to shift her weight, you're bad at this.”

“Sorry. But this isn't at all like flying.”

This was weird. Tsukune had told her to simply walk like she would normally, but there was so little control in these things. With wings, she could center her weight near the base and angle them slightly to go up and down as she pleased. It was pretty easy, considering how quickly Tora had picked it up.

On skates, she could not figure out where she needed her weight. If she put it all down by her feet, she was stable but could not build up much speed. She could 'glide' but any time she tried to add momentum was a problem. Unlike wings, she parted her feet considerably. Most of her tumbles had been trying to build momentum which threw off her weight balance.

Dangai zoomed past them, leaning to one side as she lifted one skate off the floor. She lazily banked the curve about the column, shifting back to put her right skate back down. Her knee length, electric blue spandex betrayed the lines of bikini cut panties beneath. Her baggy white shirt bared one of her shoulders as she absently ran her left hand through her short, feathered locks. After an hour of being pulled down by the other girls, Dangai had left the instructional teaching to Tsukune.

“Could you let go of me? You're not helping.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I'll never let you go, Moka. You're my backup plan if things don't work out with Tsukune.”

“Don't be silly.”

Kurumu grinned, regarding Tora and the others hanging out in the seating area. They were not the only group at the rink. They were a few small families and two groups of students. One of the student groups consisted of four girls from the skiing club, all from the Tokamachi district. She had recognized Tategami from her home ec class, so she had spoken a little with them. While the four were about the same level of skill as Dangai, they had tired themselves out after the first hour and were taking a long break.

The other group was a bunch of boys that stared at them. The local boy, Miki Moroha, from Yukari's class was among them, though he had not made any effort to talk to them. Most of these boys lurked in the shadows, talking to each other and occasionally snickering at their tumbles.

One of their group had come over to skate with them for a short while. This shaggy blond haired youth wore a short brimmed cap over his head. He had introduced himself as Fusamina Hayato, president of the skating club, mentioning that the other boys were all part of his club. He had skated a few laps with his hands thrust in the pockets of his unzipped, black and white jacket. Having spent his entire life in Mononoke, he assured them he could skate this rink with his eyes closed.

At the time he had spoken with them, she had been displaying her wealth of talent in Tora's arms. He had only spoken to the two of them, acknowledging her as a friend of Meirowasa. He had declined helping her out, stating his services were for club members only and he wasn't taking applications.

“What's your backup plan when things don't work out between you and Tsukune?”

“That's not nice, Kurumu.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Maybe not, but I have to wonder how serious you are.”

Moka glanced aside.

“I don't feel comfortable talking about this.”

“You're not my first choice when I want to talk about Tsukune either. Do you talk about him with Tora?”

“No.”

Kurumu paused. There was no way Moka would talk about Tsukune with Yukari.

“Your true form?”

“She doesn't like talking about him.”

Moka had nobody for this. Maybe Zukkutani, but she doubted that. Moka was too polite to impose her crush concerns with a girl they had known for only a couple weeks.

“Moka. How do you see this working if you share a body with someone that doesn't like him?”

Moka sighed.

“That's not what I said.”

“I'm being serious, Moka. Even if he wasn't my boyfriend, this would be an issue.”

“I don't know.”

“Did you try kissing him again?”

“No.”

“Seriously? I was up in the air for two solid hours. What were you doing with Tsukune that whole time?”

“Talking.”

“About what?”

“Kurumu. I'm not going to kiss him when you got that upset over the last time we did it.”

Kurumu sighed.

“So… were you hoping he would kiss you?”

“Maybe. I don't know.”

“That's never going to happen, Moka. Trust me. I have to fight for every second of affection he shows me, begging for it at times.”

“Maybe you should let him do things at his pace.”

“So you're saying the other voice in your head is cool with you sleeping with him if he wants it?”

Moka blushed.

“I… guess not.”

Kurumu sighed. She regarded the rosary and smiled softly.

“What's going to happen to you?”

“Hmm?”

“Your sister said your seal won't be needed anymore. But… what happens to you when Tsukune removes the seal? I know she comes out, but where do you go?”

“It's hard to explain. It's like being in a very dark room, but I can't hear anything. I can't sense anything. Not even my own body.”

“That sounds awful.”

“I guess. It's hard to have a sense of time. I suppose I could try counting the next time it happens.”

“Are ya two skating?”

Kurumu flashed a smile as Dangai shot past them, shaking her head.

“I'm worried about what your mother wants for you.”

“She just wants what is best.”

“How is removing you permanently best for you?”

“I don't know. Maybe she found a way to bring us back together again.”

“Back together?”

“Yes. I was talking with Yukari and she mentioned the possibility that the reason why I don't have memories prior to the seal is because I was created at that time.”

Kurumu shook her head.

“Don't listen to that girl. She was trying to tell me I could charm Tsukune with my touch.”

“I guess. But the other Moka thinks the idea has merit. Basically, when I was sealed because of her excessive power, a new personality was split off to handle the situation.”

“So you think you're a split personality?”

“It's possible.”

“Then why are you completely oblivious about things that happen while she is out?”

“She would be the main personality.”

Kurumu sighed. She really hated it when Yukari started spouting theories because they were always depressing and believable. They had finally made their way over to the portion of the rink nearest the seating area.

“I want to sit down.”

Kurumu reached over to grab the half wall, letting Moka go. She pulled herself along the wall to the nearest opening, smiling at Tora whom offered a quick wave. Hanetsume glanced over her shoulder, also waving with a wide grin.

“Does your mother plan to marry you off?”

“Huh?”

“Yukari made it sound like vampires had some rigid guidelines about whom they could marry.”

“I'm free to marry whomever I want, though preferably with her approval.”

Kurumu smiled as she reached the break in the wall. She turned to regard the vampire.

“I'm glad to hear you won't be forced into some arranged marriage.”

“Are you still worried about Inui?”

“You were very passive about dating him.”

“I had a lot on my mind and she was being quiet.”

Kurumu turned and shuffled her feet on the thin carpet.

“I'm surprised she went along with that.”

“She was indifferent, thinking I should stay away from Tsukune.”

“I think her approval should be your first goal.”

Kurumu grabbed the table and eased her butt into the booth next to Tora. Moka did the same on the other side, favoring Hanetsume with a smile.

“Whose approval are we talking about?”

Kurumu grinned, gesturing to the vampire.

“Moka's trying to dodge an arranged marriage.”

Moka sighed at the looks suddenly turned upon her.

“Vampires don't do arranged marriages. That's against our code.”

“Oh? That's surprising.”

“We have marriage meetings, but that's more of an eldest child ceremony.”

“You're not the eldest, Akashiya?”

“No, she has an older sister. I believe her name was Kahlua.”

Moka nodded at Tora's response.

“Yes. Upon turning sixteen, Kahlua has been tasked with answering the challenge of any eligible vampires that desire her hand.”

“Challenge?”

“The vampire way is meant to keep the bloodlines strong. The man capable of defeating Kahlua will take her as his bride.”

“Sounds interesting.”

Tora regarded Hanetsume.

“I would say dreadful.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Well… vampires are violent creatures.”

“Hey!”

“I sincerely hope you are not using a man's ability to beat you into submission as proof of his worth.”

Moka smiled apologetically.

“It's sort of tradition.”

“It's barbaric.”

“My mother remained single for a whole decade before she married my father. She assures us that our father was the strongest vampire in all of Japan.”

Hanetsume chuckled.

“That sounds like finding something in the last place ya look. Of course it was the last place. Why keep looking when ya found it?”

“An astute observation, Ms. Hanetsume.”

“Thank ya, hon.”

Kurumu perked up at a thought.

“Hey. Are you still thinking about joining the student police?”

“Student police? Thought yalls were in bad with them.”

Tora smiled.

“They’re restructuring after our little misunderstanding.”

Hanetsume smirked.

“Heard that. Don’t see why ya would think to join them.”

“Tora’s hoping it will be better for our club, though she might have to step down from being class rep.”

“The student council seems to think that will be for the best. The rule is against student government which loosely includes the class reps. I’m planning to talk with Ms. Nekonome tomorrow to see what we should do if I decide to resign from the role.”

“Ya think we’d host an election?”

“That’s up to Ms. Nekonome. I was hoping I could simply transfer my role over to Mr. Tomisaki.”

Hanetsume snorted.

“That runt?”

“Mr. Tomisaki has accompanied me on a couple student council matters. Other than Moka, he is the most familiar with the duties of a class rep.”

“I’d sooner have Moka than some boy that can’t see over my head.”

Kurumu chuckled, aware that the reddish haired Tomisaki was kind of short for a guy.

“I will take your protests into consideration.”

“Whom would you pick, Hanetsume?”

“Don’t know. Guess would depend on who wants it.”

Dangai rolled over to the wall nearest their booth, hitting it with a loud clap. The tall girl grinned as she skated over to the break. Tsukune was starting another large loop about the complex with the other two girls, this time helping Tobuyoku.

“How long have you known Dangai?”

Hanetsume glanced over her shoulder, smirking as the tall girl sauntered over to them, walking normally despite wearing the skates.

“Known her long enough.”

“What ya talking about, Hatoko?”

“Nothing special. Vampire and class rep stuff.”

Kurumu smiled as Dangai came over to stand at the end of their table.

“I was curious how long the two of you have known each other.”

“We met in junior high.”

“Yea, all fourteen of us.”

“Are ya giving up?”

“I’m tired.”

“Ya getting lazy.”

“Ya didn’t spend hours playing catch with a baby.”

“Can I come next week? I should be done shedding feathers then.”

“Naw. Her feathers looking like mine last week. Give her four, five days and she will be a mess.”

“Ya dumb, Hatoko. Ya shouldn’t fly with yer feathers like that.”

“Ya lose them faster like this.”

“Ya ruin yer new ones.”

“So… are we not flying next weekend?”

Hanetsume smiled at Tora.

“Naw. But we could exercise with ya. Ya fine with that, Michiko?”

“Sure. Don’t have much else to do Sundays.”

Kurumu smiled at Tora’s look of dismay. Turning her attention to the tall girl, she had a passing thought about her next article. While the archery club was a good call, she was kind of undecided about which other clubs she should consider. She knew all of the clubs her gym teachers hosted and did not feel like tackling any of those clubs.

“You mentioned you were part of the gymnastics team. I didn’t know we had a gymnastics team. Who is your advisor?”

“Ms. Rin.”

“Who?”

“Ms. Rin. She teaches biology for the second years.”

Kurumu glanced at Tora and Moka. This was the teacher that had done the handstand on their table back when they had been giving out their first paper. She forced a smile.

“Where do you practice?”

“Why ya want to know?”

“Just kicking around ideas for my next article.”

“Oh. She has a small studio near here. She treats us to dinner after practice.”

“You come to Mononoke for practice?”

“Yea, we jog here as warmup.”

“That must be rough.”

Hanetsume snorted.

“Not really. We run a good kilo before Coach starts in on us. Think most sports be like that.”

“I suppose.”

“What we planning after this? I’m guessing Suzume’s at her limit.”

Kurumu glanced up, noting Tobuyoku was seated on the rink, deliberately taking off her skates. Honda was still skating towards them, holding Tsukune by the shirt with one hand.

“I want one more lap with Tsukune.”

“That will take forever at your pace.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Tora.

“I can just hold him by the shirt and let him do all the work.”

Hanetsume chuckled.

“Sounds bout right.”

“Too early for dinner. Should we see a movie?”

“I’m fine with whatever you guys want. Just let me have my lap.”

“Then get moving.”

Kurumu giggled, struggling to get up on her feet. She grabbed Dangai’s shoulder and pushed off the girl to get her moving at a slow roll towards the break in the wall. She raised a hand, waving to get Tsukune’s attention as he steadily approached with the Tengu girl in tow.

“Wait, Kurumu. I’m coming too.”

Moka was struggling to get out of the booth.

“Come on, Moka. It’s going to take longer if you’re with.”

“Please.”

Kurumu sighed as she reached the break in the wall. She smiled as Tsukune slowed his approach.

“One more lap, Tsukune. Moka desperately wants it to be a threesome.”

She recalled a time when Tsukune would be flustered over such a remark. Now he simply smirked while shaking his head. He glanced over to Moka as he held his hands out to Kurumu.

Kurumu stepped out on the rink, grabbing his hand. But her skates rolled forward as his momentum carried him into her. She squeaked in alarm as he bowled her over, her legs shooting between his. She grabbed for his shirt as he fell down about her. The other girl cried out as Kurumu’s back hit the floor a mere half second before Tsukune’s chest smashed her face. Honda’s knee painfully struck her calf.

She groaned, lifting a hand to her nose as Tsukune pulled away. She pulled her hand aside, noting the slight trickle of blood.

“Sorry. Are you okay, Kurumu?”

She glanced up at the boy straddled over her. She saw the concern in his soft, brown eyes. She glanced at his lips, feeling his breath. He was so close and her thoughts quickly filled with dream kisses. She glanced back up into his dazed eyes.

It was only a moment. His lips touched hers and she quickly turned her face aside. She heard Moka’s gasp and her heart caught in her throat. She felt his lips touch her left cheek. She snaked her hand up to shield her face as a tear crept down her other cheek to touch the floor. She held her breath, her body trembling as she felt torn. She could feel his sudden want, tainted by her charm.

“Tsukune! Are you okay?!”

Moka pulled him off of her. Kurumu rolled on her side, shaking her head softly. More tears rolled down her cheeks as she held back her voice. She had messed up.

“Tsukune?”

If she could run away, she would have. But she was no good in these damn skates. Kurumu turned her head to the floor, sniffling as she kept her face shielded. She felt hands reach for her wrist and shoulder, tugging. She resisted.

“Kurumu? Are you okay?”

“She kissed him, Tora. What do we do?”

Tora tugged on her, but Kurumu could not face them. She had not meant to. One more lap. That was all she had wanted. Giving up on her wrist, she felt Tora’s fingers brush through her locks as the girl scooted in closer.

“I don’t get it. Why is her kissing him an issue?”

“Succubus problems. Hopefully the daze Tsukune is in will pass soon.”

“Is she hurt?”

Kurumu felt those gentle fingers continue to smooth her hair about her ear.

“No. She’s scared.”

* * *

Kurumu pressed the little save icon for this program. This was only a second draft, but she felt pretty good about it. All the information was there, though she needed to check with Kamitsuku and Ginei about the photos. She wondered if that was a different program. She sat back on her haunches.

After she had calmed down and Tsukune had recovered from his stupor, she had politely excused herself to spend the rest of the day with Yukari. Tora had tried to soften things by passing it off as an accident, but it was not entirely true. Falling had been an accident but the kiss had been an impulsive want.

Yukari had been on her bed reading Nana when Kurumu had arrived. Earlier this week Zukkutani had brought the other eleven volumes of Nana to school, though Yukari had only managed to read the first three volumes before the weekend. Lacking any direction over what her article should be about, Yukari had spent most of her weekend reading the series. The little witch had finished the last of the volumes before starting dinner.

The witch had been completely focused on her Nana, so Kurumu had been shooed over to the computer to work on the laptop. After learning how to use the program, Kurumu had spent a good hour on writing down all her notes into the word processor. Well… sort of. Minesweeper was kind of interesting and was not nearly as difficult as trying to arrange her information into something that sounded entertaining. She had taken a break to eat dinner while Yukari looked over her work. Thankfully Yukari had kept a copy of their newspaper to remind her how they had formatted her first one.

It was a quarter after eight. They had barely spoken in the past three hours. Yukari had already dressed down in a cream, silky chemise and matching pant. The pant looked a little long with the ends pooled upon the floor. She was wiping down the clean counters. She had done this before changing into her pajamas and after she had finished doing the few dishes from dinner.

“I’m finished.”

Yukari nodded. The witch put aside the rag and turned about.

“Will you be spending the night?”

“I didn’t bring any of my things.”

“You could get them.”

“Do you want me to spend the night?”

“I would like to be in your dream world again.”

Kurumu sighed. She had mixed feelings about this.

“I don’t think we should do that again.”

“Tsukune does not appear aware of it.”

“He mentioned seeing you on the train today.”

“Did he suspect anything?”

“No.”

“Then what is the issue?”

Kurumu got up on her feet. She walked over to Yukari, watching the girl’s eyes. When she reached out, the girl promptly held a palm out between them.

“No.”

Kurumu smiled, changing the course of her hands to caress the sides of Yukari’s face. Yukari glanced aside, sighing.

“What is the issue?”

It felt empty. Living out fantasies that could never be reality. She would rather keep things real and accept never being able to kiss him than to torture herself with vivid dreams. She felt this longing would only burn brighter if she kept feeding it these wonderful dream kisses. For Tsukune’s safety, this hope had to be extinguished.

“I don’t want to, Yukari.”

“Why not?”

“Yukari. The reason why Tsukune woke up that time was because he had sex with me.”

Yukari frowned.

“So I was separated so he could have his way with you.”

“I’m sorry, Yukari. I know I was only there to chaperone.”

“It’s because you lack practice. I believe we stepped into his dreams and you need to be more vigilant in retaining control.”

“Yukari. I don’t want to have dream sex with Tsukune.”

“Why not?”

“Because I would rather it be real.”

Yukari poked Kurumu’s right tit.

“I know you think you’re mature, but you’re not even sixteen. You’re too young for real sex.”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to lecture me about the proper age for real sex.”

Yukari wagged her finger in Kurumu’s face.

“I’m more emotionally stable. It was obvious you were crying before coming here.”

“Crying doesn’t mean I’m unstable. That’s normal.”

Yukari sighed, drooping her shoulders as she rolled her eyes.

“Why were you crying today?”

Kurumu withdrew her hands, grasping her elbows below her breasts. There were a lot of things she could say, so it was difficult to pick one.

“I made Tsukune kiss me.”

“You charmed him.”

“Yea.”

“Why?”

“Because I looked in his eyes and thought how nice it would be if he kissed me.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yea.”

Yukari sighed, shaking her head.

“I don't understand you. You don't want to do dream stuff because it's not real, but when you do the real stuff, you start bawling your eyes out.”

“But you know that kissing could be dangerous.”

“It's called making a compromise, Kurumu. You have a wonderful ability to make up for what you can't have.”

“It makes me want more. It hurts thinking that is all I can have.”

“You boasted that real sex would not be a problem. If Tsukune is pulling you aside to do the nasty in these dreams, I would take that as a good sign.”

“You just said I was too young.”

Yukari sighed.

“To be a mother. I was thinking you were too young to be a mother.”

“Ms. Sasayaki said it was unlikely for me to become pregnant.”

“But not impossible. Kurumu. You're dumb, impulsive, irrational, impolite and dumb.”

“You said dumb twice.”

“You're a child. You have no business trying to make one.”

“Yea. So we shouldn't be doing the dream stuff.”

“My God you are frustrating! Dream is not real. I'm sure you must have had sex dreams before.”

“That's different. I don't have any control over those.”

“And you had control over the last one?”

Kurumu paused, thinking about that dream and the pieces she recalled from her drinking binge.

“I willingly went into his dream.”

“So if you show up, you're at fault? That's dumb, Kurumu. Was everything your fault because you decided to meet up with Nagare?”

Kurumu bit her lip. That was not fair.

“Please don't.”

“You need to accept that there are some things that are not your fault. You're a succubus. You will always be a succubus.”

“But it was my fault. I could have handled the situation with Nagare better.”

“That doesn't make it your fault.”

“I feel like we should tell Tsukune about the dream world.”

“Why?”

“Because… I feel like I'm abusing his trust.”

Yukari sighed.

“Does that make things easier for him?”

“I don't want to tell him anything, Yukari. I would rather stop and leave it at that.”

“I think you're being stupid. You have something special that can help you get around the issues of being a succubus and you're throwing it away.”

“I'm sorry.”

“If I could trade places with you, I would do it.”

Kurumu smiled.

“I don't think you would want that.”

“Can we please continue dream dating?”

“Yukari…”

“At least give me a couple more experiences. Let me figure out how your dreams work.”

“What?”

“It took me a couple weeks to figure out how to transform into our pet cat. I'm sure the process can't be that much different.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Wait. Are you planning to transform into that older image I've been giving you?”

“If it was a simple illusion, I could attach it to something I'm wearing. But that would only trick the eye. A more immersive illusion like your dreams would require physical transformation.”

Kurumu reached out to caress Yukari's cheek.

“You're fine the way you are.”

“Don't be ridiculous. I'm eleven. Nobody wants to be with an eleven year old.”

“Yukari.”

Yukari pulled away, shaking her head.

“The problem with physical transformation is that I have to tap my own spiritual energy. The longest I've been a cat is thirteen minutes, forty two seconds. That's hardly enough time to go on a date.”

“But that's a small kitty.”

“Size does not matter. Shapeshifting is a redistribution of your existing mass. I might have been a small kitty, but I was still the same weight.”

“Okay. That's a heavy kitty.”

“Maybe a consumable would be better. One of the benefits of being a witch is that I don't have some crazy metabolism to overcome. Polymorph potions can last for hours.”

“It doesn't sound like you need my dream world for that.”

“You don't seem to understand potions. It's not some silly scavenger hunt of a bunch of random objects that you toss into a bubbling cauldron on a specific night of the year. A potion is an enchanted item. You program it, like any other enchanted item.”

“Couldn't you enchant an item you are wearing?”

“The components of a consumable are the source of the energy for the spell. A non-consumable item would have to continuously draw from the environment. That's fine for simple spells like illusions.”

“So… you want me to take you into my dream world so you can figure out how to look older.”

“Yes.”

“And we don't have to see Tsukune?”

Yukari sighed.

“It seems a waste, but we don't.”

“I can do that.”

Yukari wagged a finger at her.

“But you don't get to make a lunch for Tsukune. The deal was dream dates for real lunches. No dream date. No lunch.”

Kurumu smiled. She could live with that.


	5. Omamori Girl

There was a persistent rattle at her door. Kurumu grumbled as she dragged herself across her bedding towards the sound. She lifted her face from her flat pillow, feeling about for her alarm clock. Picking it up, she noted it was twelve minutes after six. She must have forgotten to set it last night. She wondered if her weekend drinking romp had messed with her internal body clock.

She groaned, drawing her legs up to settle on her knees. While she had brought her article notes from her dorm room, she had not thought about bringing clothes. That had turned out to be a convenient way of bowing out of Yukari's pressure to use her dream world last night.

The urgent knocking on her door persisted. This was unusual. Only one or two girls were up this early and she could not imagine why either of them would be at her door. Then again, if it was Tora, it might be important.

Kurumu got up and shuffled over to the door. She stretched her right arm up with her left hand gripping her shoulder behind her head. She felt the black fabric of her tank top lift as her breasts threatened to escape their loose confines. She wondered if she should slip a pair of panties on as she reached for the door as her visitor pounded on it again.

“I'm coming. Sheesh.”

She tugged the door open and stared at her visitor. The auburn haired Hiboshi regarded her with those faint yellow eyes. Hiboshi lifted her narrow chin, further pronouncing her upturned nose as her bouncy curls danced about her slender shoulders. The girl promptly seized Kurumu's wrist.

“Hey!”

She staggered forward as the girl yanked with more force than expected. Kurumu lost hold of the door as she stumbled out into the hallway. Hiboshi pulled her along, her fox tail whisking side to side at the end of her silky, white chemise. Kurumu grimaced as she heard her door close.

“Hiboshi! I don't have my keys.”

Hiboshi tugged her over to the elevators, punching the call button with two fingers. She glared at Kurumu, releasing her wrist.

“A minor inconvenience.”

“What are you doing?”

“You are coming with me.”

Kurumu glanced about. She could hear the showers, the volume suggesting it was more than one. That was probably Uchikawa and Bikiyama. Those two normally got up at the same time and often would hit the showers as she was finishing hers.

“Where?”

“To see your boyfriend.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

“Not dressed like this.”

Hiboshi glanced her over, causing a familiar sickly sweet sensation to touch Kurumu's core.

“Consider it a favor to him.”

Kurumu sighed, having no idea what Hiboshi intended. Regardless of this, Kurumu had to go downstairs to see the housemother for a spare key.

Measuring Hiboshi up, the girl had to be about Tsukune's height. She was slender but curvy enough to fill out that chemise. Maybe not Moka or Irewata level, but better than the average girl. The agitated motions of her tail disturbed the garment about the sides enough to suggest it was the only thing the fox girl was wearing.

“You're not dressed to see him either.”

“Spare me the lecture over public decency.”

Kurumu huffed, crossing her arms below her breasts. What was this crazy girl thinking? Short of flying, there was no way they could get to the boy dorms before six twenty. Even if she was okay with Tsukune seeing her like this, he would not be the only guy awake. She shook her head as the light announced the arrival of the elevator.

“Well, good luck with whatever you're planning. I'm going to get a spare key from the housemother.”

As the doors slowly opened, Hiboshi glared at her.

“You will do what I tell you to do, or I will tell everyone the truth about your precious Aono.”

Kurumu grimaced as Hiboshi walked across the threshold, intent on holding the elevator. Her thoughts raced out of control as she tried to grasp the situation. She doubted that firm expression was a bluff. She slowly wandered into the elevator, uncertain what she should say. The door started to close once Hiboshi stepped out of the way.

“What exactly do you want me to do?”

“You will bring him from his dorm room to me.”

“I'm not going to do something that stupid.”

“Then I will tell the whole class that Aono is a human pretending to be a vampire.”

Kurumu felt her chest tighten.

“That's crazy. Tsukune's not human.”

“Don't bother lying for him. Ms. Yoshino has told me everything.”

Kurumu felt like the air was too thick to breath.

“Why would you believe her?”

“Why not? I've always known that Aono was weak, and there is little reason to believe Ms. Yoshino and Ms. Rin would both lie to me. Both wanted to be rid of Kuyo.”

“That doesn't mean they would tell the truth. They lied to Kuyo so that he would be defeated.”

Hiboshi regarded her coldly, calmly.

“No. Aono was extremely lucky. He must have delivered the decisive blow, which satisfied the condition of my spell. They told the truth about Aono, so that Kuyo would foolishly be baited into a fight against your club.”

Kurumu watched the fourth floor bubble turn off as they descended further.

“He's not human.”

“Stop it.”

“They're just using you.”

“They gain more if I win against a human, than lose against a vampire. My greatest value is that I'm a potential vessel to carry their next prince. Recovering my charm is what is best for my people.”

Kurumu fumbled for ideas.

“But… if that… maybe… if they wanted that, then why make you do it? If it was so easy, why didn't Ms. Yoshino take it back herself?”

Hiboshi snorted.

“I'm sure the thought has crossed her mind. She is kindly allowing me to recapture my soul on my own.”

“Your soul?”

Hiboshi scowled.

“I must reclaim it quickly before that idiot gets into any more fights. Keito has already made me aware that Aono has fought with a senior last Friday. The last thing I want is for that moron to get himself killed by someone else.”

“Wouldn't telling everyone that he's a human do that?”

“As if any powerful monster would stoop to kill a human. I'm sure I could handle any of the rabble that would take interest in confirming Aono is weak. Only the weak would hunt the weak to prove themselves.”

This was no bluff. It did not matter if the logic was flawed and Kurumu was too confused and worried to explain why this was all wrong. The elevator stopped on the ground floor, the doors slowly opening. She had to say something.

“You could help us.”

Hiboshi frowned at her, stepping out of the elevator.

“Help? Help you do what?”

Kurumu quickly walked out of the elevator to grab Hiboshi's hands. She stared up at the girl.

“Please. You could help protect him.”

Hiboshi yanked her hands free, striding off for the sliding glass door.

“Don't be ridiculous. Have some pride, Kurono. You are far too pretty to be babysitting a weakling such as Aono. I'm sure you can find another toy in no time.”

Kurumu followed after the girl, unsure if she could do anything else. She could not allow Hiboshi out of her sight, but she felt like there would be no turning back if they left the dorm. The girl was far more calm and collected than she had been last Friday. This frightened Kurumu.

“You can't do this, Hiboshi. Please reconsider.”

“Unlike you, I have no attachments to Aono. There is no reason for me to protect that boy when I can simply take back my soul.”

Hiboshi walked over to a large button on the frame next to the sliding doors. She pushed it to open, clearly not in possession of her ID card.

“Hiboshi, please! Didn't you want a normal school life?”

Hiboshi snorted as she strolled through the opening into the brisk morning air.

“Of course I do. I'll make this as quick and painless as I can.”

What could she do? What solutions would Yukari come up with? No, Yukari was direct and would fight. Tora… why would a teacher care about this? Tsukune had yet to talk himself out of any situation, so there was little point thinking about what he would do. Moka…

Why was she always alone? No, it was better this way. If she had to, then nobody would know about it. It was not like she had seen anyone while leaving the building.

Kurumu lunged at the fox girl, letting her fingers sharpen into talons. She aimed for the back of Hiboshi’s head, hoping it would be quick and painless. Something so fast that she could forget. She closed her eyes the moment before impact, not wanting this image.

Her talons passed through empty air, stumbling off the path into the underbrush. She whirled about but saw no signs of the fox girl.

“You are far too easy to read.”

Hiboshi materialized in a flicker of auburn flames. Her chemise was gone as tongues of flame licked up and down the length of her body. Her breasts and stomach were swathed in a layer of white fur while the rest of her body’s fur matched her curly auburn locks. Her tail had split into two.

“Now fetch your toy before I tell the whole school what he really is.”

Kurumu charged deeper into the woods at the girl, her bare feet pushing hard against the dirt to give her more momentum. She would not look away this time. She would read the disappointment in those confident eyes and adjust accordingly.

She tried but the flicker step was instantaneous. The girl caught her wrist in a fiery grip that scalded her flesh. An elbow crushed her jaw with enough force to jerk her head back. Her back hit the ground hard as her wrist was released. Her hand covered her mouth as she quickly rolled onto her knees, tasting blood. She spit out a shard of tooth as she looked about for her adversary.

“Are you stupid? You may as well be screaming where you will attack.”

There was a shimmer within the air as Hiboshi appeared again. It was like she was stepping out from behind a curtain of heat that distorted the light. She cocked her head.

“I don’t have time for this. I thought I owed you a chance to say goodbye.”

Kurumu let her wings tear out her back as her tail shot out. She pushed off with a thrust of her wings. She hit a wall of searing hot air, but nothing solid.

“Were you under some impression that I’ve never fought? Do you honestly think that I have never tried to fight Kuyo for my freedom?”

It was difficult to change directions. She whipped her feet forward, twisting in the air. She spied the wavy distortion of heat, off to her left, certain it was wear the fox girl was hiding. The girl was fast and slipping into this heat pocket gave the impression she was teleporting. If Kurumu could keep her eyes on that shimmer, she could catch Hiboshi.

Her feet touched the trunk of a tree. She thrust her wings and launched at the spot. Once again she passed harmlessly through a pocket of searing heat. It was impossible to keep track of Hiboshi's movements while moving so fast herself.

“You lack the power to overwhelm me. Your speed is not enough for such telegraphed attacks.”

Kurumu scowled as she batted her wings to slow her momentum. She turned about, touching her feet lightly upon the soil. Recalling her first fight with Ginei, she realized it would be easier for her to handle a close quarter fight. She had to wait and let this girl attack first. The big issue would be the heat. She would have to endure it.

Hiboshi reappeared off to her left. No to her right. Wait. There were two fox girls. Kurumu tensed her body up as she held her talons out prepared.

“You're horrible at masking intent.”

Instinctively Kurumu whirled about as claws tore through her side. It was not that she had missed Hiboshi before. It was that Hiboshi had never been there. She had seen fiery duplicates of Ms. Yoshino. She should have realized Hiboshi could do the same.

She lashed out, but Hiboshi had those ridiculous reflexes. The fox girl deflected her first three attempts before striking Kurumu's chest with a palm that staggered her back. Kurumu gasped, clutching her breast as she held a hand out to ward off another attack. It felt like the bone had cracked.

“What did you even do in the fight against Kuyo?”

Hiboshi darted forward, snatching Kurumu's right hand. The fox girl yanked her forward, twisting and punching up. Hiboshi's other palm hit Kurumu's shoulder so hard she felt it pop.

Kurumu cried out, wrapping her other arm about Hiboshi's torso as she launched herself forward with a thrust of her wings. She smashed the girl's back into a tree, causing the trunk to crack. Her arm was released but she could not move it as the girl went limp for a moment.

Hiboshi kicked off the trunk, smashing the back of her fists down on Kurumu's head while bringing her knee up into Kurumu's gut. Grabbing her by the shoulders, Hiboshi tossed her aside. As Kurumu rolled aside groaning, the fox girl stumbled away from the tree.

“Stupid. I only had to kill him.”

It was hard to get up on her knees with an unresponsive arm. But she had to move. She could not lose sight of her opponent.

“You're the idiot. How did you ever think I would help you?”

Hiboshi darted over to kick her in the side. As Kurumu fell painfully onto her wings, the fox girl straddled over her belly, hands closing about her neck. Hiboshi grimaced as she squeezed.

“You had no choice! All you had to do was listen!”

Kurumu gasped as she flailed her tail and legs. She thrust the talons of her left hand up, piercing the girl's shoulder. She choked as Hiboshi's grip tightened.

“I only had to kill him!”

She was an idiot. Killing any student with witnesses was grounds for expulsion, assuming heavier judgment was not passed. Had she truly thought Kurumu would not turn her over? The girl's breathing became sharp and irregular as she squeezed harder.

Kurumu's vision started to cloud over as her strength started to fail her. She tugged her talons free of Hiboshi's shoulder, moving her hand to Hiboshi's cheek. She felt the wet tears. The iron grip about her throat relaxed.

With every bit of her remaining strength, Kurumu thrust her right wing. She rolled the startled girl onto her back, snapping her head forward as she tugged Hiboshi's head into hers. Their foreheads crushed against each other, breaking her neck free of those hands.

Hiboshi erupted in flames, burning away what little remained of Kurumu's top. The girl's searing hands found their way to Kurumu's shoulders, pushing her back. Her eyes were reddened as her nose and mouth stretched out into a muzzle, blackened lips pulling back to reveal a row of pointed fangs.

Sensing the girl was going to tear her throat out, Kurumu darted her own mouth in to press against the muzzle. She felt the girl's confusion, halting the transformation as Kurumu thrust her tongue into the girl's mouth. It should work. It had only taken minutes with Nagare, though that had been kissing somewhere else. Kurumu willed her mouth to produce as much saliva as she could, letting it drip from her mouth into the fiery girl.

She could smell her flesh and hair burning, but had lost the sense of pain. The girl tore her mouth away, gasping, but Kurumu quickly moved her head to recapture those lips. She heard the slight whimper as the heat about them diminished. Hands pushed her shoulders weakly.

Kurumu had no idea how long she kept kissing the girl. She did not know if this would work, but she lacked the strength to do much else. She had a brief thought that she should have used her dream world, but that was hindsight. There had been so much talk about how risky it was to use that skill in public places that it had not crossed her mind.

Eventually the girl's body relaxed. There was a dazed look in Hiboshi's eyes, quite similar to the subdued demeanor charmed boys exhibited. Her breathing was shallow. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Kurumu sighed in relief as she pulled away. The air felt cold against her skin as she looked about. She could see the tall structure of the dorm not too far way. She wondered if anyone had witnessed the fight, considering this was not a particularly dense part of the forest and Hiboshi had been talking quite a bit. She noticed there were a couple girls lingering on the trail, though they quickly hurried away upon meeting her gaze.

“What did you do?”

Her voice was raspy and soft. Her head turned slightly, eyes dilated. She gently touched Kurumu's side.

“A little gift of mine.”

She smiled, brushing a curly auburn lock behind the girl's ear.

“Or a curse.”

“Can't move. Feels strange.”

Kurumu wondered how long this would last. She scooted off the girl, wincing as her body started to recognize the damage. Even her wings ached as she flexed them.

“Kurumu!”

Tora was running towards her with the reddish plum haired Deshi casually following in her wake. The class rep took note of Hiboshi as she neared. Pushing her schoolbag behind her hip, Tora quickly knelt down beside Kurumu, hands gingerly touching Kurumu's face.

“You're so red.”

Kurumu glanced down at her arms, noting her skin was a deep red. She could already see the slight splotches of blisters forming. The skin damage was much worse than her brief skirmish against the fiery PSC senior. It would be difficult to wear clothes today.

“How's my hair?”

Tora laughed, her eyes wavering. Tora brushed her fingers through Kurumu's hair, black ash drifting.

“You may want to consider shortening it.”

“That bad?”

Tora nodded, turning her attention to the prone fox girl. Hiboshi's eyes were barely open as she made slight movements. She almost looked clothed in her layer of white fur, though the tufts at the apex of her breasts were notably longer and poorly obscured her creamy nipples.

“Are you okay, Ms. Hiboshi?”

The girl weakly reached for Tora as Deshi came over to join them.

“Need Aono.”

“Aono? You mean Tsukune?”

Kurumu glanced up at the student police girl as Hiboshi nodded once. The girl lacked her usual mischievous smile.

“Why you naked?”

“Hiboshi yanked me out of my room when I answered the door. She wanted me to flush Tsukune out of his room so she could kill him.”

“Why she want that?”

“Do you have your keys?”

Kurumu shook her head.

“Could you go get a spare key from the housemother for Kurumu? Tell her that she locked herself out of her room when taking her shower.”

Deshi looked over the scene and smirked.

“No kill while I'm gone. Very bad.”

Tora sighed, taking Hiboshi's limp hand in hers.

“Please don't think we would do that, DeDe.”

Deshi's amusement quickly passed. She nodded and hurried back to the dorm.

“Could you also bring some towels? Neither of these girls are dressed.”

Kurumu swallowed as she regarded the drowsy fox girl. While she had thought killing the girl was inevitable, she hoped there was a better solution.

“What did you do to her?”

“I kissed her.”

Tora laughed, shaking her head. She reached down to touch Hiboshi's face, pulling her cheek to widen her eye.

“Did she burn your clothes off when you sexually assaulted her?”

Kurumu scowled.

“No. That was a last ditch effort because she was strangling me.”

“I thought she was going after Tsukune. Seems weird that she would attack you if that was her goal.”

Kurumu sighed.

“I jumped her. Not that it mattered. She's much more experienced than I am with fighting. If she had been serious about killing me from the start, I wouldn't be alive.”

“She's that good?”

“I don't know. I guess. Doubt you would have been able to do anything outside of a barrier. We need Ginei to deal with her if she gets crazy again.”

“Hopefully it won't come to that. It's not like she has to kill Tsukune to recover her omamori. Tsukune did not kill Kuyo.”

Kurumu paused, feeling stupid. That was an obvious fact that she should have mentioned. She sighed.

“She kept saying she had to kill him.”

“We are talking about a monster girl from the same society as Kuyo. I swear you are naive. Do you realize how much I thought those girls might kill us yesterday, throwing us about the sky like toys?”

“Yes. You've scolded me dozens of times since then.”

“Stop humanizing everyone we meet. We don't know what’s within their moral code.”

Kurumu recalled the first time she had fought against Moka and Tsukune. She knew what it was like to feel desperate with nothing to lose.

“She was crying.”

Tora glanced up at her.

“That doesn't mean anything. You can still kill someone while crying.”

Kurumu flinched. She looked away.

“It's not the same, Tora. A real monster can kill without feeling anything. A real monster can enjoy it.”

Tora sighed, looking back to the dorm. More girls were walking down the path, oblivious to them.

“Maybe you are right. So how addictive is your kiss?”

“Huh?”

Tora smiled, turning her attention back to the subdued girl.

“She's barely moved at all. It's like she's been heavily sedated.”

Kurumu smiled softly. She reached over to caress the girl's cheek.

“Did you hear us? You don't have to kill Tsukune. Your strength and speed are more than enough to beat him down, if you must. Please don't burn him.”

The girl turned her face away, dragging a hand up to touch Kurumu's.

“We may have to explain it again when she regains some coherence.”

“Yea.”

Running her fingers through her frazzled locks, Kurumu forced a smile at Tora.

“Is my hair really that bad?”

* * *

For some odd reason, Mr. Nagamushi was wearing a rectangular pair of sunglasses today. He was carrying on in his usual manner, spouting this gibberish known as English. Why did she get the weird English teacher? She had heard from Tokori and Kana that Ms. Komeshita gave her whole lecture in Japanese. This immersion bullshit was not helping. It was not like she could take notes anyways. Her right hand was still numb despite popping her shoulder back into place after the fight. Her chest also ached so much that deep breathing was out of the question.

Amusingly the dining hall continued serving breakfast until eight thirty. That made little sense, given that classes began at eight, so anyone arriving that late for breakfast was all but doomed to miss their first period. This was a little gem of knowledge Shirayuki had imparted upon their tardy group as the girl leisurely ate her late breakfast.

It had taken Deshi some time to return with the key and some towels. With Deshi’s help, they had carried Hiboshi back to her room with the hopes that the girl had not locked herself out.

Both of Hiboshi’s friends had been dressed and waiting in Hiboshi’s room. The exchange had been a little tense, but Yaisoku had quickly put aside her angry suspicions to coddle her friend. Hineri had excused herself, trembling with fear as she threatened to tell her sister about this assault. It was kind of sad that they had developed such an intimidating reputation. Amused, Deshi had left claiming she would calm her classmate down.

The commotion caught a neighbor’s interest, whom happened to be the pixie haired Zenpyou from class eleven. Another Myoko junior high graduate, the girl with the orchid colored locks had ignored Hiboshi’s plight in favor of fussing over the ruination of Kurumu’s hair. Kurumu had been pulled by the wrist out of Hiboshi’s room and into the bathroom so she could see the extent of the damage herself.

She had known she had lost some length in the fight, but a lot of what remained was singed beyond repair. Only the swath on the top of her head had escaped notable damage. Most of her sides had been discolored, with strands curled and frail. Some crushed into dust between her fingertips.

In tears, she had agreed to let the girl do whatever she could to salvage what was left. It still hurt. She had not had her hair cut this short since her mother had fixed it back when she had still thought herself human. It was like losing something special that had survived all those troublesome years at Kengamine. Just like that. It was gone.

Zenpyou tried to keep her spirits up by chatting. Although a member of the fencing team, Zenpyou had been conned by Goto into joining the fashion club. They were classmates and they both liked talking about different things they wanted to try with their hair in between classes since she sat in front of the girl. When finished, she had expressed remorse over how little she could do. In the end, Kurumu had a cut that was even shorter than Zenpyou’s pixie.

It might be three to four months before she would have hair long enough for a short ponytail. Till then, her precious ribbon would have to settle for being a bracelet or a poor excuse of a headband. If only it was a little longer she could have made it work.

Wishing to limit the amount of trouble her new look might instigate, Kurumu had worn her fitted jacket and the slacks. The fabric felt unwelcome against her burned skin, but she figured she would have enough questions about her sunburned hands and face. There was no reason to let everyone know this was a full body condition.

For being one of the top ten students, Zenpyou showed no concern about being tardy. When Kurumu had mentioned her carefree nature while eating breakfast together, Tora had remarked that class eleven’s rep was actually Ms. Honemoto from Moka’s floor and was usually accompanied by Ms. Yubikiri if she brought a partner. Zenpyou cared little about the assessment exam, figuring there was no point to discuss rankings prior to midterms.

Hiboshi had come out of her stupor a little after seven thirty, which was after Kurumu’s shower and her emergency makeover. The fox girl had said very little, not bothering to look at her during breakfast. She had offered an apology, though she firmly stated this was their fault for fighting Kuyo. She was dead set on fighting Tsukune over lunch, preferably in a place that would not draw attention. They had explained the fight was a matter of clan pride when Zenpyou had inquired what this was all about.

They had not been more than fifteen minutes late to class with the quiet Shirayuki following on their heels. Kurumu doubted anyone had noticed the others, as her classmates had been stunned by her new look. It was strange and saddening. It seemed like some of the boys really liked her short hair, though she could tell their true focus was on her curves. It was as if the new look made it easier for them to focus on things that genuinely corresponded with their lustful desires.

It hurt that she could feel the difference in Tsukune’s interest. He was nice and complimented her new look, but she could feel his lust for her was diminished. She worried about telling him the reason, certain that he would feel guilty. She hoped the others knew him well enough to not say anything.

Moka had been naturally sweet about it. She had got out of her seat and caressed her hair throughout most of their first break, saying how nice short hair felt. Moka had startled her with the statement of her hair being shorter than Tsukune’s, at least on the sides and the back. She still had some semblance of length on the top.

Nerume had loved it and had dragged Satsuki in after her third period lab to see the new look. As the small girl ran her fingers through Kurumu’s short locks, Nerume had flirted with the idea of cutting down her hair. They both had strongly discouraged her. Satsuki had bluntly declared Kurumu to have the breasts to pull this off. Nerume would only end up looking like a little short haired boy.

While the two girls were present, Kurumu had decided to inform them about pushing the soccer lunch date to tomorrow. She had mentioned this to Burumoto after first period when he had been protesting about the new look not quite being in line with the wholesome cheerleader image he cherished in his heart. Tamaishi voiced his opinions about there being plenty of short haired cheerleaders, which initiated a battle of long versus short that got half the boys involved. This conversation carried well into Ms. Sunao’s timid lecture.

Both the Tengu girls had been concerned when they had visited after second period, Hanetsume boldly asking if she had broken up with Tsukune while standing in front of him. She had quickly dismissed their concerns, playfully adding that she got tired of him treating her hair like a leash.

Tobuyoku had bought the line without hesitation, stating how badly her boyfriend back at home was when it came to her hair. She had seriously thought about cutting hers over the break before coming to Yokai, but her mother had talked her out of it. She was still dating this young man whom was two years older than her, assuring her admiration for Utsutei was similar to what one would have for a painting.

As Kurumu regarded the time on her wristwatch, she realized more than half the class had spoken about her hair. Even Hedoyami, whom she wished had minded his own business, had voiced his disdain for girls trying too hard to look like men. She had no idea what kind of monster that boy was, but she honestly believed that fat fuck would eat any girl that was foolish enough to go home with him.

She kind of wondered if Moka would have the same reaction if the vampire cut her hair. Kamitsuku had said that she was more approachable than Moka. She wondered what made people think that. Moka was nicer and smiled much more. You could believe in her smile, because she was innocent. The only feeling hiding behind her smile was loneliness.

There had been a slight delay in starting Ms. Kagome's lecture because the woman had been horrified by the sudden change. Her response had worsened when Yougan and Ikazuchi had joked about Kurumu finally embracing her bad girl side and making a man out of Tsukune. The teacher had suddenly become very concerned, stating students should refrain from sexual relationships, and hoping that Kurumu would consult her first before crossing that line.

Tomisaki and Kamitsuku had visited after the math lecture. The flirty Tomisaki had offered her a chance to play with his hair if he could touch hers. She naturally declined while Kamitsuku wanted to confirm everything was okay. It was kind of nice, because Kamitsuku had this unobtrusive way of pulling Tsukune into conversations. Though it was not like they had talked about anything special, it was nice to have Moka and Tsukune chatting with their classmates.

That had been her longest conversation with Tomisaki Saichiro, another junior high mate of Hiboshi. The russet haired boy with wild, untamed locks was roughly the same height as Moka and had such a warm and enthusiastic smile. Kurumu could tell why Tora did not consider this guy as serious dating material. All he did was flirtatiously talk about touching. It was a bit too much for Satsuki, whom immediately escaped the moment Mr. Nagamushi walked into the class.

With a passing comment, Kurumu had confirmed that Tsukune had brought the omamori before Mr. Nagamushi's lecture started in earnest. Tsukune hoped it would be as simple as giving it back, thinking there had to be an easy solution that everyone was overlooking. He had the yellow charm patterned with tongues of red flame tucked away in the pocket of his jacket.

Something about excellent and lecture escaped Mr. Nagamushi's lips, making Kurumu aware that the teacher was packing up his notes into his briefcase. She smiled, thankful that he was having a shorter lecture. Six extra minutes would give her classmates a fighting chance for a good lunch line position compared to those with gym this hour.

As she put away her things in her schoolbag hanging from the side of her desk, she noticed Irewata had this concerned look while chatting with Hiboshi. The fox girl was clearly annoyed.

“Hey, Mizore.”

The girl glanced over as Kurumu got up.

“I don't know if you were planning to eat lunch with us at some point, but we're all going to be busy today and I will probably be tied up the next few days with the soccer club.”

Shirayuki touched the end of her white stick in her mouth. She had her usual blank expression.

“I wasn't planning to.”

“I'm sorry.”

Shirayuki shrugged, getting up from her seat. She thrust her hands in the two sided pocket of her shirt, turning about and walking away.

Kurumu sighed as the girl left the classroom. She strolled along the back of the class, wondering if she should rouse Nerume for lunch. Her friend would go with Satsuki regardless of the early dismissal, so she might as well leave the task to Satsuki. She paused at the end of the aisle, gently touching Nerume's back and patting her head before continuing on to the trio of chatting girls. Even this slight of a gesture caused her arm to ache.

Arashimideru Maihime was the tallest girl of their class. Paired with Tsukune and Moka due to their science teacher's insistence of using alphabetical order to determine lab partners, Hiboshi's fellow tennis player was extremely soft spoken and succinct. Her silvery white hair was done up rather boyishly in the front, but she had two short, tufted tails in the back that created a perfect separation line from the top of her head to the nape of her neck. These tails were fluffed out, somewhat similar to how Aori from class eleven wore her hair. The two girls did not know each other.

“I'll be fine. Just tell the others I won't be there.”

“Sure.”

The tall girl turned away, noting her presence. She walked around Kurumu.

“But Netsuki. You've never cared about Kuyo's honor.”

“Shut up, Haruhi. I don't need the whole school knowing about this.”

Irewata Haruhi was the only other girl that could challenge Kurumu in the bust department. Roughly the same height as Tokori and Sakamori, the mousy haired girl had quietly confessed to being an F cup last week when Kurumu had inquired over Hiboshi's absence. It had been an offhand jest that she had not expected the girl to answer, so she had mentioned getting a properly fitted jacket so Irewata would not have to resort to the sweater top all the time. The difference between an F and G was not much, but Irewata had such a stocky torso that Kurumu had expected an E cup at best. The bouncy girl tugged on Hiboshi's sleeve and blouse, frowning up at her friend.

“But Netsuki. I don't want you to fight. You'll get in trouble.”

“Stop touching me, Haruhi.”

Kurumu smirked as she walked over to join the girls.

“If you didn't want her to touch you, I'm sure you could stop her.”

Hiboshi scowled as Irewata continued to fret, reaching up to brush her fingertips through auburn locks.

“It's dumb. Her family shouldn't order her to do something so reckless.”

“It's none of your business. Go eat lunch with your friends.”

“But you said I was putting on too much weight. I'd rather be with you.”

“Go away, you stupid rabbit!”

Hiboshi shoved the girl back, causing Irewata to stumble into Kurumu. Angrily the fox girl stormed down the aisle, grabbing Tora by the arm and hauling her along. Tora managed to snatch up her schoolbag before the girl dragged her out into the hallway.

Irewata turned about in her arms, grabbing her by the shoulders. Kurumu winced from the pressure on her arm as Irewata looked up at her, pink eyes pleading.

“Don't hurt her!”

Kurumu glanced at Moka and Tsukune whom had finally come over to join them.

“What was that all about?”

“Please! Don't kill my Netsuki!”

If that had not been so sincere, Kurumu would have laughed. Hiboshi had told this girl nothing. As far as Irewata knew, her friend was about to challenge a vampire over family honor.

“I don't know what sort of rumors you have been hearing, but we haven't been killing anyone.”

“Yea… It may sound hard to believe, but Kuyo was the first guy I have ever punched.”

Tsukune laughed nervously.

“And I don't even remember doing it.”

“But you hospitalized that senior you fought last week.”

Tsukune winced.

“Yea…”

“You'll kill her if you hit her like that. She's not strong. Please. Don't fight her.”

Kurumu sighed.

“What do we do?”

“I'm just going to give it back.”

“Give what back?”

Kurumu shook her head at Tsukune as he reached for his pocket.

“It's nothing, Irewata. Tsukune was planning to throw the fight. Right?”

Tsukune paused, letting his hand go lax at his side.

“Um… sure. Give her honor back. Yea. That's what I meant.”

“We have to go, Irewata. Hiboshi will get angrier if we don't take care of this quickly.”

“No! I'm coming with you!”

Kurumu grimaced.

“I think Hiboshi would be pissed if we brought you along.”

“Where are we going anyways?”

“You two go ahead. I'm sure Hiboshi is annoyed that you aren't following.”

“Kurumu. Why did you cut your hair?”

Yukari had walked in through the back door and was approaching her slowly. The girl's eyes were fixated on her. Kurumu smirked at the concern, surprised that Yukari would still be so shocked considering the girl was always spying on Moka.

“You didn't notice the difference through Moka's rosary?”

“Of course I did. That does not mean I understand why you chopped it all off.”

“Could you take this girl off our hands? Hiboshi is wanting to challenge Tsukune to regain her family honor and does not want her friends getting involved.”

“No! I'm not staying behind!”

Yukari stared at her, not masking her doubt in the slightest. She sighed.

“I suppose I could.”

Yukari turned to Tsukune as she reached out for Irewata's hand.

“Try not to do anything stupid. You have enough girlfriends.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“No! Let me go!”

Irewata squirmed in Kurumu's grasp, refusing to be apprehended by Yukari. She effortlessly broke free, considering how painful it was to use her right arm. Thankfully Yukari had quickly stepped in to wrap her tiny arms about Irewata's torso. Her witch hat promptly fell to the floor as Irewata proved Yukari's additional weight would not hinder her escape. Irewata dragged Yukari to the front door.

“Please calm down, Irewata! We're not going to hurt her!”

Caressing her aching shoulder, Kurumu followed the girl out into the hallway.

“I don't care!”

“Do something, Yukari!”

“But I only molest my friends.”

“I meant something useful!”

Kurumu hurried around to block Irewata's path, but the girl hopped over her. Clean. Kurumu whirled about, catching a glimpse of pink panties and a small tuft of white fur poking out the top just below the hemline of the skirt. The girl landed on the pads of her slippers, walking further down the hall.

“How did she…?”

Tsukune placed his hand on her good shoulder.

“Well… she did call her a rabbit.”

Kurumu glanced aside at him.

“You didn't peek up her skirt?”

“Why would you accuse me of that?!”

“Because you have the luck of the divine when it comes to perverted stuff.”

Tsukune shook his head, running over to the pair. He was much taller than the weighed down girl, so he was able to catch her before she passed by Ms. Sasayaki's lab.

“Hold up, Irewata. It's only an issue if she sees you.”

“I'm not letting you fight her alone!”

He touched Yukari's arm.

“Can you make her disappear, Yukari?”

Irewata collapsed to her knees, her head tilted back as she started bawling. Kurumu and Moka hurried over to the altercation as Yukari smirked up at the perplexed Tsukune. Some of the students in the lunch line below were taking interest in what they were hearing.

“I did not realize vampire's blood would make you so violent, Tsukune.”

“What?!”

“I could make her disappear many ways.”

Kurumu sighed as Tsukune became flustered. Yet another rumor will join those about the cruel and mysterious vampire overlord Tsukune.

“I meant make her invisible!”

Yukari patted the girl's head.

“There, there. You won't feel anything. It will be over quick.”

While Kurumu found this amusing, they did not have time to put up with a hysterical girl that felt like her demise had been casually discussed. Luckily her sobbing kept most of her words from forming a coherent sentence. Kurumu knelt down beside the girl, trying to console the girl with gentle caresses.

“At least let me die with her.”

“Yukari. We have to get going.”

The girl grinned mischievously.

“I know, I know.”

In the blink of an eye, the two were gone. There was no sound, but she could still feel Irewata was there. Kurumu smiled, recalling that Yukari had several enchantments stored away in her brooch that held her cape together. Patting what she hoped was Irewata's head, Kurumu got back up.

“Okay, that's one problem down. Let's find Hiboshi before she takes her frustration out on Tora.”

“Are they gone?”

Kurumu shook her head at Moka.

“It's invisibility, not teleportation. You can't see or hear them.”

“So… like the time you were following me when I was with Inui.”

Kurumu nodded as she started down what remained of the hallway. It was not that much further till the two side balconies came together at the end with the film club's dark room on the right and the stairs leading down on the left. She gestured for the two of them to follow as she started down the flight, taking the steps two at a time.

“Should we wait for them?”

“Yukari can track us through Moka.”

“This doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to fight Hiboshi.”

“Yea… I guess our opponents can't always be psychopaths.”

“There has to be another way.”

“That would be nice. Maybe chant some phrase like, I release you from your service.”

“Is she really in his service?”

Kurumu reached the bottom of the steps. Through the glass door, she could see Tora and Hiboshi slowly walking towards the back of the bleachers that faced the track field. They were so far away that if she had not known the pair were together, she would not have been able to identify them as such. She paused at the door, briefly wondering if she should remove her slippers. Actually, Hiboshi was unmistakably dressed in her gym clothes. They must have gone through the locker room, which was quite possible with how quick Hiboshi's angry pace had been.

“Let's go.”

Kurumu grabbed Moka by the wrist and tugged the girl towards the large lunch line.

“What are we doing?”

“Going through the cafeteria and gym. Come on, Tsukune.”

Some students had obvious concern when their trio came to the line, but did not resist when they cut through the line to get to the other side. It was less hassle to walk along the other side of the serving line wall that separated the cafeteria from the selection aisle.

It did not take long to get through the noisy cafeteria into the gym. She knew that they would be changing sports today, but had not been paying enough attention to know which one it was. They would probably be lectured over the history of something today, so it was not likely to be an interesting gym period. She doubted they would have another indoor sport, as the teachers would probably want to do as many outdoor ones as possible before the winter months started. Ms. Kibashiro had admitted the only reason they had done volleyball was because Ms. Hoshineru had won a game which decided which sport would get recruitment priority. Tsukune naturally angled towards his locker room down the hallway on the far side of the stage while Kurumu guided Moka into theirs.

It did not take long to get to their lockers. Kurumu carefully spun the dial to unhinge the padlock. Setting it aside, she swapped out her slippers for her gym shoes while Moka did the same at locker nearby.

“Hey. She burned you.”

“Huh?”

“I didn't want to say something around Tsukune. Hiboshi. She burned you this morning.”

Kurumu chuckled as she gingerly changed her shoes. It was not an easy process to manage using only her left hand.

“What are you talking about? This is just a bit of sunburn from flying around over the ocean for way too long yesterday.”

“That's not true. She told me there was no way that could be true.”

Kurumu sighed. She could heal faster than a sunburn could set in, which kind of made tanning a fruitless endeavor. Some might believe her story simply because she was a rare monster and they had no way of knowing better.

“I'm glad you didn't say anything. It's not like we need the whole class to know about it.”

“She also broke your arm.”

“Did she notice that too?”

“I'm sorry.”

Kurumu closed her locker, putting the lock back into place.

“Don't worry about it.”

“I'm still sorry. You were suffering and all I did was sleep.”

Kurumu chuckled, reaching over to squeeze Moka's shoulder with her left hand.

“I'm not expecting you to cry your eyes out, begging to die with me. It's okay.”

“But you said I was never there for you when you need me to be. I worry that it’s true.”

Kurumu sighed, walking over to the door that opened to the outside. Pushing it open, she stepped out into the afternoon sun. It felt nice as she started to walk for the gym storage room where Hiboshi and Tora were waiting, glancing to her right for signs of Tsukune.

“You realize I was frustrated and upset when I said that. I don't really think you are never there for me. Nobody can be there for you all the time. That's why I've been trying to make more friends.”

“But you're always there for me.”

“What are you talking about? Moka, think about this. I was not there for your first fight with Saizou. I was not there for your fight against Ms. Ishigami. And I wasn't there for your latest fight against that wrestling guy.”

Kurumu smiled as Tsukune stepped out of the locker room. Tsukune had changed into his gym clothes, prudently deciding this was better than his school uniform. Kicking up into a slight jog, he hurried over.

“Oh yea. That was Yukari.”

“Yukari was there?”

“Well… she came seconds after the fight. But she helped get us to the infirmary.”

Hiboshi huffed as they finally joined her.

“You took your time.”

“Sorry. Irewata was a bit difficult to placate.”

Hiboshi scowled, rolling her eyes. Just before Tsukune arrived, she turned away and started off. The fox girl turned at the end of the storage room, angling for the corner of the track field fence.

“She's a gyokuto. The idea that the three of you can't handle Haruhi makes me wonder how you ever survived a fight against Kuyo.”

Tsukune effortlessly caught up to the girl, holding the yellow omamori out to the girl.

“Are you sure you can’t take this back?”

Hiboshi regarded him, her nostrils crinkling. She timidly reached out but when her fingers got near the charm, a flash of white snaked out. As Tsukune jerked away from the girl, Hiboshi shook her left hand with a look of annoyance.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Kurumu walked at a steady pace between Tora and Moka. There were a few students enjoying lunch outside in the bleachers but it looked like the rest of the athletic fields were empty. It was more a matter of convenience, as it took quite a bit of time getting lunch. Running out to these bleachers cut down on time to chat and eat, so Kurumu figured this group must consist of students that had fourth period gym.

“So what is the plan?”

“I agreed to let her fight him without any interruptions on her promise that she would not kill him.”

“Meaning?”

Tora reached into her schoolbag, tugging out her spray bottle.

“I’m going to set up a barrier so the two of you don’t interfere. It will also keep out anybody else whom might become interested.”

Kurumu grimaced.

“That doesn’t keep anyone out. That forces you to play a riddle game with anyone that wants in.”

“Yes and no. If I put up enough points, the barrier will be strong enough that my refusal won’t tax my spirit as harshly.”

Kurumu nodded as they started through the space between the track fence and the tennis courts. The school had eight tennis courts that were divided up into pairs. The black fences had small walkthroughs that allowed players to walk to whichever court they wanted. Off to the far left was a small compound which likely contained the tennis team’s spare equipment, bathrooms and the concession stand.

“Are you absolutely certain that there are no other means of releasing you from my control?”

“I’m not under your control, Mr. Aono.”

“My service then?”

“You wish.”

“Then why is this such a big deal that you get it back if I have no power over you?”

“For peace of mind. I have no reason to explain what that entitles you to.”

Kurumu touched Tora’s shoulder.

“She said that thing was linked to her soul. Yukari said sphinxes were creatures that dabbled in spiritual magic.”

“I guess. I understand that my barrier is a projection of my soul and placing more points allows me a stronger connection.”

“So what can you tell us about that charm?”

“I don’t know what that is. I’ve never used any spirit magic outside of my barrier.”

“Sheesh. Lots of help you are.”

“This coming from a girl that didn’t even know she was a natural heroin production facility.”

“Hey. I’m a rare species.”

“And I’m not?”

Kurumu sighed as Moka chuckled.

“I think all of us are rare. I have yet to meet a vampire that isn’t related to me.”

“I was hoping that maybe your mother taught you something useful. Then again, this is a mother that didn’t bother teaching you to fly.”

“Yes. Flying. Such a useful skill.”

Kurumu snorted.

“More useful than learning English.”

“English has lots of practical applications if you consider working abroad.”

“English will never save my life.”

They had reached the other corner of the track field fence. Hiboshi was veering off to the left again with Tsukune tagging along half a step behind her. She was heading for the end of the fence where the curved fence defining the home run line started. Unlike the track field fence, the ballfield fence was easily twice the height of Tsukune.

The school had two baseball diamonds that faced away from the school and each other. There were bleachers that faced away from the school for each ballfield that ended roughly where the dugouts were built. Between these two bleachers was the lockers visiting teams would use for all these sports that used these athletic fields. There was also two rows of bleachers facing opposite directions built up between the two diamonds.

“Your girlfriend is awfully calm about me fighting you.”

“Yea… she trusts Tora.”

“As much as I hated him, I trusted Kuyo with that. I knew he would never abuse it.”

“How exactly would Tsukune abuse that?”

“I’m merely stating a fact.”

“You should be thanking us for getting you out of your unwanted engagement.”

“Those are separate things. As far as I know, my engagement to him is still valid. Assuming he ever shows up to claim it.”

“Shows up?”

“I understand he ignored the protection of the council, seeking his punishment from Fairy Tale for his crimes. Ms. Yoshino has no idea what his plans might be, assuming he is not executed for murder.”

“That sounds insane. He turned himself in?”

“That is the pride of our Prince. I’m sure Fairy Tale will bargain with him. He is much too powerful to be disposed over some empty cry of justice for the deaths of some unimportant monstrels.”

Kurumu scowled.

“Monstrels are as important as anyone else.”

“I don’t care. I just want my life back.”

“And what if Kuyo does come back for you?”

“It was not like he was ever serious about taking me to bed. As ironic as it sounds, he said I would never be worthy of him if I could not best him in combat.”

They were now out in the open field behind the fence. There was not much to see other than the trees and underbrush that marked the limits of what the groundskeepers took care of. She had heard there was a trail at the far end of this field that ended in a large parking lot for the visiting athletic teams.

Hiboshi sighed as they neared the scoreboard. She stopped, turning about. It was difficult to make out any features of the few students that lingered in the track field bleachers.

“This is as good a place as any. If you would, Ms. Nazohashi.”

“Are you sure you can’t beat me in some contest?”

“What?”

“Like a staring contest.”

“That’s dumb.”

“Rock paper scissors?”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I’m trying to avoid a near death experience. Have some pity.”

Hiboshi sighed as Tora set her schoolbag down, pulling out her spray bottle.

“Fine.”

Tsukune grinned.

“Okay. I’m going to throw paper, so this should be easy.”

“You can’t do that. This has to be a serious fight.”

“Who says I’m not serious?”

“It’s a contract bound to your soul, Aono. You can’t fool your own soul.”

“Just trust me.”

She shook her head.

“Okay. On three. One… two… three.”

Both of them went with paper.

“Why didn’t you throw scissors?”

“Because I wanted to see how stupid you were.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Don’t you mean honest.”

Tsukune laughed.

“Okay, we’ll try again. One… two… three.”

This time she did scissors while he did paper. He grinned, handing the omamori over.

“There you-“

The light flashed out, startling Hiboshi. She growled at him.

“See! It has to be serious. You have to want to win.”

Tsukune frowned, rubbing the back of his head.

“Maybe if we try it again. I won’t say what I’m throwing.”

“You’re going to leave this to luck?”

“She only has to win one round. It doesn’t matter how many times I win, right?”

Hiboshi touched her lips, glaring at the yellow charm in Tsukune’s hand.

“It shouldn’t. But you still have to want to win.”

Tsukune grimaced.

“… sure. Another round?”

They played three quick rounds, Tsukune winning the first two much to Hiboshi’s annoyance. The third round she won and there was a momentary glimmer of hope in her eyes when she reached out for the charm. The white light shot out in the same manner as it had before, causing the fox girl to twirl about shaking her hand angrily.

“It won’t work! You have to want to win!”

“That’s difficult when I want you to win!”

“For fuck’s sake! Do you need more incentive to win?!”

“Hiboshi…”

“Fine! If you win, you can take my virginity! Is that good enough?”

“Hey now. Tsukune’s virginity is mine.”

“No it’s not!”

Kurumu poked Moka’s tit.

“Stay out of this!”

“How are you still a virgin?”

Though the question was leveled at Tsukune, Kurumu took it personally.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Hiboshi huffed, shaking her head.

“Fine, I don’t care. Sleep with your girlfriend first but the offer still stands.”

“I’m not sleeping with anyone.”

“Are you saying that’s not enough incentive to win? Are you gay?”

Tsukune grimaced.

“Are you sure wanting to win is required? You said Kuyo was never interested in you.”

“Kuyo was competitive. His pride would never allow him to lose.”

Tsukune sighed.

“Then this will never work, no matter what we do. I’m not interested in fighting you at all.”

“Don’t be stupid. If I kill you, it will definitely work. With no living host, it will recognize me as the rightful owner.”

“I’m not setting a barrier down if that is your intention.”

Hiboshi scowled, gesturing angrily at Tsukune.

“What am I supposed to do? Is there anything he would be willing to fight me for?”

Kurumu sighed.

“I guess if you take one of us as a hostage, he might.”

“Kurumu!”

“That’s how he is, Moka. He could definitely fight if he felt Hiboshi was going to kill one of us.”

“I’m not doing that, Kurono. If he can’t fight for his own life, he doesn’t deserve to have it.”

Tora shook her spray bottle.

“Should I be setting a barrier or are we at an impasse?”

Tsukune regarded Hiboshi calmly.

“Set the barrier, Tora.”

“No. Before you do that, I want to hear what he wants.”

“Tsukune?”

“If you kill me, I want you to live that normal, peaceful life we were promised.”

Hiboshi rolled her eyes.

“That’s not how this works. I decide what I want if I win. You have no say in that so spare us the self-sacrificial bullshit. What do you want if you win?”

Tsukune pursed his lips, glancing over at them.

“I have a feeling I would be killed if I said I wanted anything that didn’t involve my girlfriend.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at him.

“That’s your problem. What do you want? If it’s something believable, that you can truly fight for, then we can have a serious fight that doesn’t result in your death.”

“Help me out here, Kurumu!”

Kurumu frowned, regarding Hiboshi while the fox girl did the same to her.

“I guess we could do a threesome.”

Moka smacked her in the back of her head.

“Foursome?”

Moka smacked her again, blushing hotly. Kurumu chuckled, purposely stepping out of the vampire’s reach before saying anything else.

“I’m not saying right after you win. Like a raincheck on it. Clearly Kuyo never cashed in on his.”

“Kuyo was simple. Winning was enough for him.”

Tora cleared her throat.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but are these agreeable terms for all parties?”

“I don’t care. It’s not like he’s going to win. He just has to want to.”

“So is the foursome on the table?”

Kurumu smirked, aware how his desire perked up.

“Tsukune…”

“Hey. It is more motivating.”

He had no chance of winning.

“That’s on you Moka. If Tsukune wins, you up for it?”

“No!”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Tsukune? Are you able to fight seriously for this?”

“I really would like Moka to agree to this. I want to be as motivated as possible so she doesn’t have to kill me.”

“For God’s sake, just agree to it, Moka.”

Kurumu blinked, surprised Tora would say such a thing. Then again, Tora must have also realized how impractical it was to believe Tsukune could win this fight.

“But Tora…”

“Everyone here wants this over with. Just say you will for his sake.”

Moka bit her lower lip. She blushed, looking away.

“Fine.”

“Okay, I’m going to set the barrier. Could the two of you back up to the fence?”

Kurumu nodded, walking around Moka so that she could grab the vampire with her good hand. She tugged the worried girl as she crossed the short distance to the fence. Tora was spraying her scent upon the grass, counting her paces as she walked in a circle about the two combatants. The sphinx would take about five steps before squirting another spot.

“I’m going to want you to throw the first punch.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to prove that you’re serious.”

“I’m not sure if you heard, but I leveled the last guy with one punch.”

Hiboshi smirked.

“Then you should feel quite confident in your victory.”

“Don’t listen to her, Tsukune. Trying to hit her will be as difficult as trying to hit Ginei.”

“Could the spectators keep their comments to themselves?”

“Maybe I want the foursome to happen.”

Kurumu scowled when Moka smacked the back of her head again. She hurt everywhere and this silly girl kept hitting her.

“I’m hitting you back the next time you do that.”

“Stop saying those things.”

Kurumu pulled away from the vampire. She crossed her arms below her breasts, watching Tora finish making her round. The sphinx set aside her spray bottle, making the familiar gestures to set her barrier. She glowed for a moment before turning to regard the two.

“We are ready. I’ll be sure to heal Tsukune up when he loses.”

“If I lose.”

“Sure.”

Hiboshi stretched her arms behind her back. After rolling her shoulders twice, she took a loose stance.

“I’m ready when he is. Come at me, Aono.”

Tsukune grinned.

“I’m not going to charge into an obvious trap.”

“There’s no point stalling. Give me your best shot.”

Tsukune took a deep breath, balling his hands into fists. He slowly approached the girl, his footing notably light. It was like he was imitating a boxer.

Hiboshi straightened up, her body relaxed.

“Seriously? Can’t you project even a little bit of intimidation?”

Tsukune darted in, but Hiboshi effortlessly caught his arm. The fox girl was a quick whir of limbs that left Tsukune sprawled on the ground. She hopped back from the groaning boy as he clutched his gut.

“You’re almost as bad as she is.”

Kurumu scowled as she hopped away from the fence. It only took a few steps to reach the barrier.

“Finish this quickly, Ms. Hiboshi. It’s a long way back to the school and the lunch hour is more than halfway over.”

“Get up, Aono. I’m still waiting for that punch you promised.”

Tsukune was up on one knee, his other foot on the ground.

“I’m trying my best. Give me a break.”

“I’ll break something if you don’t get up.”

Tsukune launched into her, but she did not budge when his shoulder hit her midsection. She brought her knee up into his gut, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and turning. She threw him to the ground.

“This is pathetic.”

Hiboshi kicked him over onto his back, straddling over him with her knees pinning his shoulders to the ground. She smashed her hand into his forehead once, causing him to go still.

“Hiboshi!”

“He’s out.”

Hiboshi reached down to thrust her hand into his pocket, wincing. Scowling she grabbed Tsukune by the shoulders, shaking the unconscious boy angrily.

“I said a serious fight! Was that so fucking hard to do?! Do you not value your life at all?!”

Kurumu wanted to break things up but she could not move past this wall. She angrily glared at Tora, whom vanished. The sphinx reappeared seated behind Hiboshi, grabbing the fox girl about the head and neck, pulling the girl back.

“That's enough.”

“It's not! I have to!”

The fox girl struggled in Tora's grasp, tugging on the arms about her neck. Her right hand turned into a paw with razor claws. She slashed at Tsukune's face, drawing four ribbons of blood.

“Netsuki. Stop!”

Yukari sighed, rubbing the back of her head as Irewata ran over to the invisible barrier. When had they got here? The bouncy girl pounded her fists on the solid air.

“Please. Stop!”

Hiboshi's body relaxed in Tora's grip. She started sobbing.

“No! Why would you bring her? That's not fair.”

“Ms. Sendou says she might be able to unravel your spell. Give her a chance.”

“Yukari?”

“I might be able to, now that I know whom it belongs to. Might. You know spiritual magic is not my area of expertise.”

Kurumu nodded, aware of how Yukari had attempted to break Tora’s spirit spell over Tsukune.

“Look away. Please.”

“I heard everything, Netsuki. Let her help you.”

Tora released the fox girl, whom leaned forward, hugging herself. Tora quickly kissed her fingers, turning her palm up and breathing in, which caused Irewata to stumble forward a step as the barrier vanished. The girl quickly bounded over to Hiboshi’s side, bowling the girl to the ground next to Tsukune.

Kurumu hurried over, aware that Moka was quickly following on her heels. She knelt down beside the affectionate altercation, feeling Tsukune's bloodied check and checking his pulse.

“Don't worry. He's fine.”

Tora brought her hands forward, shaped in a small diamond with a glowing white ball of energy between them. She pushed this healing spell into Tsukune's chest, his wounds closing up almost instantly. He groaned, shifting beneath the sphinx as he brought a hand up to his temple.

“Stop.”

Hiboshi whimpered with her eyes closed, tears rolling down her cheeks. She caressed the back of Irewata's head as the gyokuto nuzzled her cheek into Hiboshi’s neck, lavishing the skin with wet kisses.

“You cheats. Not fair at all.”

* * *

“Stand. Bow. Dismissed.”

It had been a long day and Kurumu was exhausted. They had been late to their fifth period, Kurumu convincing the group that eating was important since she had her doubts about getting dinner while in the state Ms. Kagome often left her.

Tsukune had apologized profusely, admitting how difficult it had been for him to fully commit to a fight. She had teased him about not wanting that foursome, but he had known everyone had agreed to it because they all expected him to lose.

Kurumu put away her things, her right hand feeling much better than it had during lunch. She watched Hiboshi chatting with Arashimideru and Irewata. In gym, the fox girl had aired her continued frustrations over the situation, annoyed that they had involved Irewata. She had refused to explain her relationship with the bouncy girl, dismissing Irewata's affections as unwanted advances that had been going on for the past couple years. Watching them now, it looked like things were back to normal. If told, most would not believe that Irewata had given Hiboshi those small neck bruises that had faded away before the end of science lab.

It looked like Natsudera would be helping Chousei with her class duties. The ebony haired Takurami had already hurried to the board to claim the easier half of the chores, so the two girls were heading over to the janitorial locker in the back corner of the class. Natsudera smiled, waving as she slipped by.

The fussing over her hair had kept up throughout the day. Being her lab partner, Natsudera had complimented her on the new look. Izanai, her other partner, felt short hair was far more sensible and made Kurumu look more mature. It was the nicest thing that pompous boy had ever said to her.

Before heading out to their electives, Chousei had dropped a few comments about her hair. While Chousei had long hair done up in braids, she had often thought about shortening it like her younger sister had over the last break. A group of her sister's friends had all decided to shorten their hair together at the start of their junior high. Something about pixies for pixies, which she found amusing.

A large palm rested on top of her head, tousling what was left of her locks. It was the third time he had done it today.

“I guess this isn't too bad.”

She batted away Burumoto's arm, starting to get up.

“Tell your team to be ready for interviews tomorrow. I'm going to have a couple friends helping out.”

Moka perked up.

“Your article? You haven't said anything to us.”

“Nerume and Satsuki will be handling this one.”

“Oh.”

Kurumu flashed Burumoto a smile as Tamaishi came up behind her. She gestured to the sleeping girl sprawled over her desk.

“Try not to be too intimidating. Nerume and her friend are both out of prefecture, so I was hoping they might make a couple friends helping me out.”

“Are they single?”

Kurumu measured up the two boys, aware that Tamaishi was slightly taller and stockier than Burumoto.

“You know she's shorter than me.”

Burumoto shrugged.

“And?”

Kurumu placed a hand on top of her head, walking up next to him. She slapped her hand across, backing up to see that the heel of her hand was against the center of his chest.

“Are you serious?”

Tamaishi chuckled.

“What? It's the perfect height.”

“For what?”

Both boys chuckled and she felt a stronger sense of desire. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“Actually, don't answer.”

“Look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Kurumu.”

He patted her on the head before walking about her to clap his hand on Tamaishi's shoulder. The two chuckling boys strode out of the classroom.

She realized Shirayuki had already left. That girl had been pretty quiet throughout home ec and gym. Not that Kurumu could have held a conversation with Asuka around. The energetic Raiji had been so excited about Kurumu's short hair, hoping the new look would remind boys that short haired girls could be girlfriends too. She was regrettably still single despite Kurumu's article, a little worried that she might be the only one of her kind in the school. She admitted there were not a whole lot of her kind scattered throughout Japan, so while it was not too surprising, it was still disappointing. Of course Taijin had teased her about always falling back on her brother if she was still single after graduation.

Taijin had been indifferent about the hair change, letting them know Sakamori had not shown up for classes today. Tokori suspected the silly redhead had exhausted herself over the weekend, since Sakamori had still been sleeping when she had left for her part time shift on Sunday. The girl had been gone when she returned, her mother assuring her the girl had left on her own around three. Asuka volunteered to check up on the girl tomorrow after classes if Sakamori missed another day.

After complimenting her hair, Tokori had assured Asuka that their little weekend party had been fairly tame. Kurumu had reminded Asuka that all of them had been girls, and they had to keep things quiet so that Tokori's little brother could sleep. She had pulled Tokori aside, curious if they should mention Nerume's strip dance since Sakamori might say something. Tokori had decided to gamble on the redhead being too drunk to remember that with any clarity.

“Are you okay, Tsukune?”

Tsukune looked over to Moka, shrugging. He had pulled the omamori out from his jacket and was turning it over in his hands.

“I was wondering how Yukari will get rid of this.”

“You can ask Hiboshi. I doubt she will run off to tennis practice today.”

“Yea…”

Kurumu smiled as he got up from his seat. She reached over to grab Moka by the hand, tugging on the girl as she walked across the back. She nodded to Arashimideru whom returned the simple gesture before slipping out the back door.

“Do you want me to come too?”

“Not really.”

“But what if she does something bad to you.”

Hiboshi got up from her desk, slinging her schoolbag onto her shoulder. She sighed, shaking her head as she pushed aside Irewata before the girl could get up.

“I can take care of myself.”

Kurumu walked down the aisle with Moka in tow, blocking Hiboshi's escape. The fox girl sighed again, pushing away Irewata's hands twice before letting the girl hug her from behind.

“I'm going to kill Keito for this.”

“Huh?”

Hiboshi poked Kurumu's forehead a bit forcefully.

“Nothing. Where's that witch? You guys can do without her for one club meeting.”

Moka smiled.

“She usually lets most of her class leave. Being small, she doesn't like walking in the hallways when everyone else is.”

Tsukune walked up the adjacent aisle, holding the omamori up.

“Hey, Hiboshi. What do you plan to do with this thing?”

“Why do you care?”

“I'm just curious.”

“I might have to consume it.”

“Consume?”

“That's how the original spell is supposed to work. You create the charm at a desired age and wait as many decades as you want before consuming it.”

She sighed, rubbing her hand upon the ones wrapped about her torso.

“But I wasn't supposed to be dealing with that kind of magic when I made that. I'd much rather destroy it if I can.”

“You mean like burning it?”

“No. That charm has many protections. I doubt you could cut that with a sword.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Strange. Ms. Yoshino said we should be careful with it.”

“She's always been dramatic about things. It annoys me that I will probably need her help-”

There was a tear and Hiboshi gasped. She clutched her chest, her schoolbag falling down to her elbow. Her other hand snatched Kurumu's jacket, tugging down as the girl collapsed to her knees.

“Netsuki!”

Tsukune looked over the two torn pieces of the omamori, his eyes wide. He shook his head.

“But she just said…”

Kurumu fell forward, her forehead smashing against Irewata's. Clutching her head, she pulled as far back as Hiboshi's vice grip allowed. The fox girl started to convulse with her legs folded beneath her. Irewata quickly cradled the girl's head, trying to hold her still.

“Netsuki! Netsuki!”

Desks were shoved aside before Tora knelt down on Irewata's left.

“What's wrong with her? Seizure?”

“I don't know. I don't know.”

Tsukune backed away in horror, dropping the torn halves of the omamori. He stumbled into the desk behind him, shaking his head as Moka darted over to fold him in an embrace. He tried to push the vampire away, but her strength and hushed breaths against his ear denied him escape.

More desks were shoved aside as Natsudera and Chousei joined them.

“She needs space!”

“Should I get a teacher?”

“The nurse, fast! Kurumu, we need to straighten her legs out.”

Irewata was bawling incomprehensibly. Kurumu struggled to get off to the left side so Natsudera could free Hiboshi's legs. Chousei must have bolted out of the class as Nerume timidly walked over.

“Is she okay?”

Hiboshi was still twitching but completely unresponsive. Her eyes had rolled back so that only her whites were showing.

“Get Yukari! Nerume, please!”

The girl nodded, but Yukari hurried through the back door before Nerume could react. The witch darted around Nerume, kneeling down next to Tora. She looked over Hiboshi, leaning in and pushing the jacket open. She started unfastening the buttons of the blouse.

“What are you doing?”

“What happened?”

“Tsukune tore the omamori in half.”

“That's not possible.”

Kurumu turned and reached for half of the charm which was lying on the floor behind her. She held it up by the black cord for Yukari to see.

Yukari stopped her work on the blouse to snatch the charm by the cord. She was undeniably amazed. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the blouse. Once finished, she pushed the cloth aside to place one palm on Hiboshi's belly. She pressed the omamori against the girl's sternum.

“I'm sorry. I didn't know.”

Yukari took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. Her fingertips glowed as she relaxed.

Kurumu counted her breaths as they waited. Hiboshi's hand released her jacket, falling limply to the side. The fox girl's body ceased twitching. Irewata brushed the girl's auburn locks aside.

“Netsuki?”

Yukari snapped her head up. Her eyes were trembling.

“Did she say anything? Anything at all about this spell?”

“I… she said it was some spell that she would consume after decades.”

“Tora. Does that spell sound familiar to you?”

“No. I only know how to do my barrier.”

Yukari thrust the torn half at Kurumu.

“Have Tsukune tear the cord off.”

“… what?”

“Tear the cord off. And give me the other half, Kurumu.”

“What are you doing?”

“Give me the other half, Kurumu!”

Kurumu turned about, holding up the corded piece to Moka. When the vampire took it, Kurumu fetched the other piece to present to Yukari. Yukari snatched the fragment and forced it into Hiboshi's mouth.

“You can't put something in her mouth. She'll choke!”

Yukari whirled angrily at Natsudera.

“She's already dead! Tsukune, tear that cord off!”

“She's dead?”

Yukari gestured at the sobbing Irewata.

“Make her swallow that. I don't care how.”

Kurumu felt this horrible pressure pushing down on her heart.

“Tell me I can do something, Yukari.”

“Tear off the fucking cord, Tsukune!”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean-”

“Now!”

There was a slight tearing sound as he finally complied. He held the two pieces down to Kurumu's shoulder. A very small fragment of the charm remained with the cord, while the rest was a tattered chunk of yellow silk with broken red streaks.

“Yukari.”

The witch took the two pieces, letting the corded part fall on Hiboshi's belly. She took the larger piece and handed it to Irewata.

“Make her swallow this too.”

“I can't.”

“You will.”

“Yukari.”

“This is a spirit wound, Kurumu. You can't do anything, so stop pestering me.”

Yukari took the corded scrap, putting it in her mouth. Letting the black cord dangle out, she scooted up closer to Tora as she placed her left hand between Hiboshi's still breasts.

“I need to keep some of your soul, Tora.”

“What?”

“You're a sphinx. The only one here with a larger spiritual reserve would be Moka, and she's sealed away.”

Tora was on the brink of tears. She swallowed, nodding.

“I'll do what I can.”

“Just don't let go of me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm going to try to complete this spell before we lose her.”

“You said she was dead.”

Yukari glanced up at Tsukune.

“Practically. Physically. Grab hold of me, Tora.”

Tora wrapped her arms about Yukari's torso as the witch placed her other hand on Hiboshi's forehead. Sniffling, Irewata tucked the rest of the omamori into Hiboshi's mouth, pushing it in as far as her fingers would allow. Yukari closed her eyes once again.

“Should I get a glass of water for her?”

Yukari's did not respond as her whole body started to glow. The glow spread up Tora's arms, the sphinx relaxing against the young witch. Tora's eyes closed, her mouth slightly open. In seconds her body was glowing as brightly as Yukari's.

“She's using Tora like a battery.”

Kurumu glanced up at Moka, whom smiled softly.

“Since she doesn't have enough power in herself.”

“Will they be okay?”

Moka squeezed Kurumu's shoulder.

“I believe in Yukari.”

Kurumu smiled, looking up. She realized Zukkutani must have joined them at some point. Their blonde illustrator was standing over by Tora's desk, clutching her schoolbag to her chest. She was clearly worried and too afraid to come over and see what was going on.

“Sorry, guys. Ms. Yoshino held me up with day duties-”

Ginei grinned upon noting the gathering of girls. He walked over, not bothering to mask his desire.

“Is this a bunch of new recruits for our club? The pursuit of truth and justice became much easier-”

His amicable speech ended upon noting why they were on the floor.

“You know… something doesn't feel right when a bunch of girls are hovering about a half dressed girl.”

“She was having a seizure.”

Kurumu smiled, supposing Natsudera's conclusion was the easiest to understand. Ginei nodded as he walked by them, pointedly keeping his eyes on Zukkutani. He rapped his knuckles on one of the displaced desks.

“Are they supposed to be glowing?”

“Yea…”

“Somebody already getting a teacher?”

“Akiko went to get the nurse. She should be back any moment.”

Ginei nodded as he placed a hand on Kana's shoulder.

“So how was your day, Kana? You look pale.”

“I hope she's okay.”

“Me too. I'll never hear the end of it from Ms. Yoshino.”

“Kurumu, what's happening?!”

Nerume's startled remark returned her attention to Hiboshi. The fox girl was now glowing, but even brighter than the other two. It was a painful light, causing everyone to turn their heads aside.

“Netsuki?”

Shielding her eyes, Kurumu forced herself to look into the glow. Hiboshi's form had diminished in size, becoming more lithe and childish. Her lacy white bra hung loosely off her smaller frame, her hands drawn back inside the cuffs of her jackets. Her hips had lost so much shape that there was no chance that the skirt would hold in place. Even her auburn locks had shortened till they barely touched the girl's narrow shoulders.

Her preadolescent chest lifted as the girl breathed for the first time in what had felt like ages.

Tora ceased glowing next, the sphinx letting out a heavy sigh as her eyes fluttered open.

“That was tiresome.”

“Did it work?”

As Tora shrugged, the glow about Yukari steadily lessened. The witch took a deep breath as she lifted her palm from the girl's chest. She smiled, moving her other hand to caress the girl's cheek.

“I caught you.”


	6. Small Problems

Kurumu groaned as she was prodded. Images flitted and dissipated from her mind as she quickly became aware of the real world. She tried to grasp what was slipping away, but became acutely aware of a small hand tugging on her shoulder. She was lying on her side on top of a futon. It was dark and she could feel that a tank top had been drawn over her torso. It was the only thing she was wearing.

“Kurumu.”

Yukari? Was she on the floor? She yawned, scooting away from the girl hovering nearby. She turned onto her back, lazily opening her eyes. The ceiling was too close to be Yukari’s suite. She was in a dorm room, most likely hers. Why was Yukari in her room?

Yukari leaned over, a small hand cupping and squeezing Kurumu’s right tit. Kurumu groaned, weakly pushing the girl away. Yukari’s hand abandoned its perch to take Kurumu’s hand as the girl sat back.

“I’ll squeeze them again if you don’t get up.”

Kurumu wondered how many pajamas Yukari owned as she noted the blue tee with a white cloud print. The silky pant was clearly part of the set. She absently reached over with her free hand to touch Yukari’s side. The usual scent of sex that pervaded the air was a bit stronger.

She remembered Ms. Tsumugi arriving with Chousei. The nurse had a lot of questions, suspicious of Yukari despite everyone vouching for the witch’s heroics. The dubious woman had carried the small Hiboshi off to the infirmary, promising to check with the Headmaster to verify that magic had not been used against their unconscious classmate.

Before they could straighten up the classroom and start their club meeting, Ms. Kagome had arrived to whisk her away to those special tutor sessions. Tora had accompanied them, since Ms. Kagome was using the vacant class 4-7 which was across the hall from the infirmary. Exhausted from Yukari’s spell, Tora had persuaded Ms. Tsumugi to allow her to rest. She had thought Tora would be the one taking care of her after the nap.

Yukari frowned, reaching over with a finger to draw tiny circles about Kurumu’s sunken nipple. Kurumu sighed as she withdrew her hand, resting it against her forehead.

“Fine. But you have to take responsibility.”

“You woke me up with your moaning.”

“Hmm?”

“Kept saying Tsukune over and over.”

Kurumu supposed she might have been. She had no memory of what she had been dreaming less than five minutes ago. But her body was not the slightest bit aroused, nor was it reacting to this nipple teasing. Impulsively she reached over to touch the slight bumps poking through Yukari’s shirt. The girl jerked away, covering her torso with her arms.

“Are you horny?”

Yukari huffed, turning her nose away.

“I am here to collect on that dream you promised.”

“Don’t know if I should take a horny girl into my dream. She might do naughty things.”

“Your room reeks of sex. It was difficult to sleep.”

“I’m sorry. I should air my room out more often.”

“It was worth the experience. Now get up.”

Kurumu frowned.

“What time is it?”

“Almost five thirty.”

Kurumu groaned. She reached up and rubbed her eyes.

“It’s too early.”

“This is normal for me.”

“Why bring me here? We will make such a mess.”

“I tried taking you to my apartment but discovered you had no spare clothes in your schoolbag. Since it was late, I decided to spend the night here.”

“What about your lunch?”

“I have money. I’m looking forward to spending all day with Moka, starting with our walk to breakfast.”

Kurumu sighed, rolling over onto her hands and knees. She folded up her futon as she crawled about. When it was roughly the right size, she picked it up and carried it over to her open closet. She stepped up and stuffed her bedding into the top slot.

“Are you sure you don’t want to visit Tsukune in your dream?”

Kurumu settled back on her heels, yawing. She nodded, stretching her arms up over her head. Small arms hugged her from behind as Yukari’s head pressed against her back.

“You’re so stupid.”

“I guess.”

Yukari released her, starting to undress. Kurumu hesitated, wondering if she should put some towels down. Maybe the mess would be manageable if she was on a towel while holding Yukari. They would need to shower afterwards.

“How is Hiboshi?”

Yukari stepped out of her sleep pant, tossing it aside. The nude witch glanced up at her.

“She was still in the infirmary when we left. She should be fine.”

Kurumu did not mean to notice, but Yukari had a full patch of pubic hair. Sighing as she realized she could not tease the girl over her bald coochie, she tugged her gray tank top up over her head, slinging it off in the direction of her hamper.

“What happened to Hiboshi’s body?”

“That was the original spell. It was meant to restore her body to a previous state.”

“That was normal?”

“I imagine it is a way to keep her kind alive for centuries. It was not an easy spell to repair.”

Kurumu nodded, reaching into her closet to retrieve one of her worn towels. She walked over to Yukari, kneeling down in front of the girl.

“So… will her body change back?”

“It’s a reset. Her body is back to the age at which she cast the spell.”

Kurumu set the towel aside, grabbing Yukari’s hands. The girl smiled, kneeling down.

“Lady Hineri said she cast that spell before she started junior high. That’s more than five years ago.”

Yukari smiled softly.

“I feel sorry for her.”

“Why didn’t she wake up?”

Yukari shrugged.

“She was dead. That’s a severe shock to the body. I repaired the spell, which helped me find and recover her soul. I’m sure she will be fine after some rest.”

Kurumu smiled, caressing Yukari’s cheek.

“I guess you won’t be the youngest student in Yokai for much longer.”

“Technically she would still be fifteen or sixteen. It’s not like her birthdate changed.”

Kurumu thought about what it would be like if her age had been pushed back five years. That would be back during her first year at Kengamine. That had been the first year of coming to terms with not being a normal human. She hated that year.

“I don’t think I could handle being ten years old again. I’d be almost as flat as you are.”

Yukari huffed, turning her face away as she rested her hands on her thighs.

“Could we do this? I’m not interesting in seeing your naked body.”

Kurumu chuckled, willing her tail to come out. She folded her left ear over with her right hand as she grabbed her tail below the spade. She opened the petals, guiding the stigma over to that sensitive spot.

“This is such an inconvenient place. I feel like I never have a proper seal without tearing a hole through my ear.”

“It's probably to keep it protected. I'm curious how that connects to your brain.”

“I really don't feel like going back to the hospital for more tests. I'll just get more bad news.”

Kurumu took in a sharp breath as the stigma slipped inside that narrow crevasse. It felt sore, but in a good sort of way. In an instant, her hair was back to the length she had enjoyed for these past few years. This was probably because this was how she saw herself.

“I thought you wanted to prove how your charm works.”

Kurumu paused, beating down the sudden urge to cry. She really missed her hair. It had not been this short since second grade when some boys had thought it would be cute to throw gum in her hair. She had tried cutting it out herself so she would not have to tell her mother, but she had done such a horrible job. She never had told her mother why she had cut it.

“Kurumu?”

“Sorry. I suppose I should reassure everyone that my charm doesn't work with words and touch. Will that satisfy you?”

Yukari took her left hand in both of hers, giving it a squeeze.

“When I said those things, I was trying to push you away from Tsukune.”

“You were just trying to protect him.”

“You give me too much credit. I was worried you would take advantage of Moka being with Inui.”

With a thought, a dark crimson gown wrapped about Kurumu’s torso, clinging tightly to her bosom and hips. Her pale skin could be seen through the sheer lace that swathed her upper torso, though there was enough fabric to not be indecent. The lace gave way to smooth silk about her waist, shimmering in the moonlight that filtered through her solitary window. It pooled about her ankles like a blood stain upon the floor.

“The thought did cross my mind.”

Yukari sighed, standing up. Kurumu tapped Yukari's forehead, causing the girl to grow up to Tokori's height. As promised, she endowed the girl with a bosom to rival Moka's. She finished the transformation by clothing the witch in a silky black chemise that hung loosely off Yukari's narrow shoulders.

“Do it slower. I need to analyze what you're doing.”

“It's not a process. It's a thought.”

“Then think slower.”

“That's not possible.”

“Fine.”

Yukari closed her eyes, cupping and squeezing her dream breasts. After a short moment, her hands drifted up. Her thumbs and fingers pressed against her exposed pectorals.

“What are you doing?”

“Familiarizing muscle structure.”

“I honestly just recreate an image.”

“Your brain instinctively understands the underlying structure involved to support the image. While they may not be the same size as yours, you have instinctively given me your muscle structure.”

“And you can do this by touching yourself?”

“Sort of. Transformation magic was a pain to figure out because my mother refused to teach me.”

“I'm surprised to hear your parents denied you anything.”

“Are you implying that I'm spoiled?”

“Yes.”

“I made the mistake of telling her that I wanted to be older. Realizing this was my goal, she refused to help her little girl be anything but her little girl.”

“That's understandable.”

Yukari lifted her left arm, massaging her shoulder and biceps.

“It's selfish. There's little point denying my education on this subject over sentimentality.”

“Isn't pursuing your agenda without regards to your mother's feelings selfish?”

“A child should not be in charge of pampering the ego of her parents. Whether I'm eight or eighteen, I will still be her daughter. What I look like should not dictate her care towards me.”

“I guess that's true.”

Yukari reached down to feel her thighs. Bending further down, she massaged her calves one at a time.

“My father and I are allergic to cats. We have a cat because she wanted one. No practical reason. I hate that thing, always pestering me for attention and never giving anything in return.”

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head.

“It's just a cat. What could you expect to get out of it?”

Yukari shrugged as she lifted her chemise to feel about her groin.

“I honestly don't understand the point of pets. When I figured out how to take its form, I considered getting rid of it. I'm sure it would have been fine without an owner.”

“That's pretty mean, Yukari. I'm sure that would have made your mother mad.”

Yukari whimpered. She closed her eyes, her wrist rocking steadily as she enjoyed her new body.

“What are you doing?”

The witch let out a heavy breath, withdrawing her hand.

“Just testing the sensitivity. No point creating a body that has no sexual response.”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head.

“Do you hate your mother?”

“Of course not. Just because I don't agree with her irrational decisions, doesn't mean that I don't care for her. I showed her that I could transform into her cat, and spent a whole ten minutes in her lap.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I'm a much better cat than that mindless animal. It would seek attention and then tire of it after a minute or so. I don’t why Mother put up with such a fickle beast when she could spend time with me.”

“Were you jealous of a cat?”

Yukari blushed, glancing away.

“Don't be ridiculous. Do you have a mirror?”

“Mirror?”

“Yes. I want to see my reflection. It will help finalize this image in my mind.”

Kurumu thought of the full height mirror her mother owned. She caused a copy of this black, wooden framed mirror to appear standing in the corner of her room. The room lit up much brighter than what was normal. She gestured to the rectangular surface.

Yukari wandered over to the mirror, stretching her arms over her head. Rolling her shoulders, she brought her hands down to cup and squeeze her breasts again.

“Your muscles have more density than mine. I wonder if all monsters are like this. You must weigh much more than a human.”

“I'm only forty two kilos.”

“Strange. I guess all of your body fat is in your tits.”

“Thanks?”

Yukari moved her hands to caress her face.

“I think this is wrong. My face should be more slender with age. You have me looking like a child in a woman's body.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't study your mother's photograph that well.”

“That's okay. I think I can fix this myself.”

Yukari closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to her temples. Her body glowed for a moment, diminishing in size. When the glow dissipated, Yukari was once again in her eleven year old body with a chemise that hung loosely about her torso and halfway down her thighs.

“Yukari?”

“This is who I am. The Sendou Yukari whom everyone sees.”

Yukari touched the image on the mirror. She stared intently, her body once again glowing. This time, the woman reflected in the mirror was much older. It was still Yukari, but her cheeks had slimmed and her lips were fuller. Her bangs were cut across more strictly like the usual hime style, with long hair on the sides to hide her ears. The back of her hair was longer, twisted and turned up in a pinned tail.

The witch turned about, crossing her arms below her bosom. Yukari had resized her chest to be more comparable to Hiboshi's.

“But this is how I am. You might be the only person that acknowledges this.”

Kurumu smiled.

“You look as old as our teachers.”

“I'm smarter than most of our teachers.”

“Yukari. You might want to rethink the face. You look like you're about my mother's age.”

Yukari turned about, regarding her reflection. She sighed.

“Are you sure that's a bad thing? How old is your mother?”

“Thirty four.”

“Perhaps I tried too hard to look like an older sister to my mother. A little sister than.”

Yukari touched her face, closing her eyes. When she removed her hand, her face had a much more relaxed look to it. It was still old, but like a decade younger than the first round. There were some third years that looked this age.

“Better.”

“I guess.”

Yukari smirked with the familiar smug expression she often favored them with.

“I think I have enough information to formulate a spell for this.”

“How did you ever manage to figure out how to turn into a cat?”

“I spent a lot of time handling it. I made some educated guesses with my first iterations. It took about seventeen tries to get a form that felt correct.”

“That many?”

“It would have taken less if I could have dissected it, but I'm sure we both agree that would have upset my mother.”

“Yea. That would.”

Yukari nodded. She glanced beyond Kurumu for a moment. Turning her head, she smiled.

“You should give me wings.”

“What?”

“Wings. Like yours. I'm sure you can do it.”

“Why would you want wings?”

“Moka was talking about how nice it would be to have wings, and I'm curious.”

“I suppose I can.”

Kurumu thought about wings, thinking black suited Yukari best. A pair of jet black wings similar to Tobuyoku's sprung from Yukari's back as her chemise became a halter top. Kurumu had much more experience with Tengu wings, figuring those operated much more like hers. With a thought, she brought her own wings out, flexing them as Yukari did the same.

“How do you only weigh forty two kilos? The muscles for these things are ridiculous.”

Kurumu laughed.

“I swear it's true.”

“I could punch a hole through a wall if my arms were this strong.”

“I can, but my hand would hurt a lot if I did something that stupid.”

Yukari turned to regard her reflection. The witch flexed her wings again, moving them slowly. She lifted them up and stretched them back down.

“They feel bulky.”

“That's just how they are.”

“They don't need to be. Flight is determined by displacing wind pressure. Increase the pressure below and you will be forced up.”

“Sure.”

“A narrow wing would suffice with enough force.”

Kurumu shrugged.

“I think smaller wings would make gliding more difficult.”

“Not at all. The ability to glide correlates to the lift drag ratio, which is better when a wing has a high aspect ratio. A long, narrow wing has a higher aspect ratio than a short, wide wing.”

Kurumu smiled, not knowing enough about this to argue.

“Well, if you can figure out how to make better wings, go right ahead. That's the best I can do.”

Yukari dispelled her wings, favoring Kurumu with a grin.

“Perhaps I shall try flying with you some time.”

“You would?”

Yukari nodded as a pair of long wings burst out from the sides of her torso like another set of arms. Holding her arms out wide, she touched the ridge of these wings that were easily twice the length.

“Something like this. I only have to change the muscle connections slightly.”

Kurumu shook her head, amazed at how quickly Yukari had modified the wing structure.

“Can you fly with those?”

“I have no idea. They should be as strong as the ones you initially gave me.”

“Hmm. I don’t know if teaching you to fly in here would be the same as flying in the real world.”

“That's disappointing. Oh well. Maybe Ms. Zukkutani has another series she can lend me then. Nana was quite entertaining.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I still can't believe you read that whole thing in one weekend.”

“It was quite insightful. I feel like I understand you better after reading it.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we have time to visit Tsukune.”

Kurumu grimaced.

“I've already said we aren't doing that.”

“Then how about Moka?”

“Why would we do that?”

“I'm sure you are curious what Moka dreams about.”

“She's already said that she doesn't have dreams.”

“Please. I promise I will behave.”

“The fact that you felt you had to add that makes me suspicious.”

“Come on, Kurumu. This is a chance to get to know more about Moka.”

“How will this result in that?”

“Well… every time we enter your dream world, the Moka we see is the silver haired one. Aren’t you the least bit curious why that’s the case?”

“Why would I want to see her true form?”

“Because she is Moka. I want to know everything about her. Don’t you feel the same way?”

Kurumu smiled, knowing this was how she felt about Tsukune. She loved Moka, but that true form was difficult to be around. She would never stay unsealed for long and was never happy about being out.

“Her true form scares me. You know she will be angry if we drop in.”

“Even if her true form does get upset, you know this won’t bother Moka.”

“You may be right, but what if she gets violent?”

“She won’t. Everyone only sees this Moka, just like everyone only sees an eleven year old girl. Let me visit her true form. At least let me wish her a belated happy birthday.”

Kurumu sighed, unsure if she could. While she had proven to be able to find Tsukune whenever she wanted to, she had yet to find anyone else in her dream world. She wondered if Moka would even be there if she did try going to her.

Decisively, she moved them down into Moka’s room. The vampire’s dwelling was the same as always with the large stuffed golden brown bear with the black fedora seated in the chair beside her writing desk. To her surprise, the pink haired vampire was sleeping on her black futon with a thin, black sheet pulled over her. The vampire rested on her side with her head resting against the top of her pillow while the rest of the cushion was wrapped up in her arms beneath the sheet.

“I’ve never been in Moka’s room before. It looks… normal.”

Kurumu chuckled as she knelt down next to the vampire. She turned, holding a hand up to Yukari.

“What were you expecting?”

“She’s a daughter of the Shuzen household. I was thinking something more extravagant.”

“We can’t fit extravagant in our sad little elevators. I actually have a bed at home that I dearly miss.”

Yukari took her hand, kneeling down on her left.

“I wonder if Moka has more furniture. I brought almost everything I own.”

Kurumu wondered how much more anybody their age could own other than a bed and maybe a dresser. She knew some students had brought some electronics, but it was not like they could watch television.

“I’m blaming you if she gets mad at us.”

Yukari smirked, promptly reverting to her eleven year old body.

“What do you mean? I’m an innocent child.”

Kurumu snorted. Shaking her head she reached down to brush Moka’s bangs aside. Closing her eyes, she pressed her palm against the vampire’s cheek.

The world swept away as they fell into a void of darkness. Her stomach twisted as she spun about in the darkness, holding Yukari’s hand tightly in hers. An overwhelming fear of losing Yukari clamped down on her heart as she tried to reach for the girl with her other hand. She could see nothing. Hear nothing. She tried to scream but nothing came out.

Their descent ended abruptly, her knees smashing against something solid and unforgiving. She quickly glanced aside, confirming Yukari was still in her grasp. The little girl was pale, her free hand pressed to the polished stone. Yukari retched up clear fluids that reeked of bile.

“Please don’t go anywhere! I don’t want to say goodbye!”

They were in the shattered remnants of a building. Rubble was strewn in all directions. The air about her was nauseating and oppressive. Kurumu looked in the direction of the cry and gasped.

A massive hand was thrust through the building, surrounded by a swarm of writhing tentacles. Standing in that hand was a pair of figures. One was a woman dressed in black lingerie with long, flowing pink hair. The other was a silver haired child. Tentacles had pierced the woman’s torso in multiple places.

“I’m sorry.”

The woman touched the cross dangling from the black choker about the child’s neck. A blinding light shone forth from the device, forcing Kurumu to shield her eyes.

“Mother?! What’s happening?”

“I’m so sorry, Moka. Forgive your mother.”

Kurumu could see the tentacles were pulling the mother away from her child, whom had collapsed into the massive palm.

“It hurts… Mother… it hurts…”

“I’m sorry. But you must be sealed away. Our blood has synchronized with his. This is the only way I can put him to rest at this time.”

“Please… don’t go…”

“Sleep, my precious treasure. She will protect you till the time is right.”

A hand grabbed Kurumu by the shoulder, hauling her to her feet. The silver haired Moka was wearing the same outfit as the child. Crimson eyes filled with wavering emotions stared fiercely into hers.

“You don’t belong here! Get out of my head, Kurumu!”

Kurumu was shoved with unbelievable force. She slapped her hand back against the floor as she heard her tail pop free of her ear. Fluids splashed across her body as the spade end closed. She was back in her dark dorm room and her head hurt as much as it had when Tsukune had abruptly ended her dreams.

Yukari groaned, clutching her head.

“I don’t think we should do that again.”

* * *

As Ms. Sunao scurried out of the classroom, Kurumu got out of her seat. She promptly grabbed Moka by the head and pulled the vampire into her bosom. While the sealed Moka had more strength than her, the vampire had a devil of a time twisting in Kurumu’s grasp to even start pushing in protest.

“Nope, I’m not letting you go until you forgive me.”

Moka mumbled something into her breasts while shoving on her midsection. Kurumu simply tightened her hold, which felt delicious. Several boys in the class approved of her act and she also sensed the familiar sickly sweet sensation from Moka.

Before they could even finish cleaning up the mess in her room, an angry vampire still dressed in her pajamas had pounded on her door. This Moka did not quite understand what had happened, but was annoyed with the early wake up. It sounded like the silver Moka was furious, demanding Kurumu to never come near her again. The vampire had stormed off, refusing Yukari’s offer of a morning shower together with a curt remark about the ultimatum doubly applying for naked little girls.

Yukari had broken down in tears. This rare occurrence denied Kurumu the impulse to chase after the vampire. Yukari had still not calmed down by the time her alarm had sounded, so Kurumu had led the girl to the showers to clean up the reddish smears that stained both of their bodies. By the time they were presentable and able to go to Moka’s room, the vampire must have already left for the dining hall. The whole situation had been frustrating. It had taken asking the housemother for Moka’s spare key for her to be informed that the vampire had already left for breakfast with Tora.

They had walked to the Kurai dining hall with Zukkutani arriving shortly before seven. Moka must have hurried her breakfast with Tora, as neither girl had been present. They had chatted about club and Yukari’s first breakfast in the dining hall, convincing the blonde to wait for Tsukune so that they could all walk to school together. Kurumu had felt it wise to let both know that Moka was upset over how she had woken the vampire up this morning.

“Are you going to let the girl breathe?”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Burumoto. She relaxed her grip so she could slip around behind Moka, evading the vampire’s attempts to push her away. She tugged Moka’s head back before draping her arms over Moka’s shoulders.

“So what’s that like, Aono? I’ve seen her do that to you a couple times.”

“It’s like being smothered by pillows.”

“Just stop, Kurumu. I’m not happy with you.”

Kurumu sighed, lifting her hand up to run her fingers through Moka’s hair. She felt Moka’s hand touch her other forearm as the vampire meekly pulled her head away from the caress.

“No… please stop.”

“Nope.”

“She… I’m really mad.”

Tsukune turned about in his seat, resting his arm on Moka’s desk as he smiled.

“What did Kurumu do?”

“I… it was rude.”

Kurumu wondered if her Moka had been told anything sensible. Kurumu lowered her head to breathe against Moka’s ear.

“I’ll just do it again if you keep pushing me away.”

The way Moka blushed intrigued her. Moka turned her head away.

“Fine. If you promise not to do it again.”

“What did you do, Kurumu?”

Kurumu smiled as she straightened up. She resumed caressing Moka’s hair, noting less resistance.

“It’s embarrassing, Tsukune. We can leave it at that, okay?”

Having mostly guys in earshot, she could imagine their conclusion. Yougan with his red hair swept up like a broom was snickering and had reached over to shake Ikazuchi’s shoulder. The silver haired boy cast a furtive glance at them, his cheeks and the tips of his ears a slight shade of red. He shook his head, batting Yougan’s hand aside. Burumoto chuckled, gesturing with his huge hand.

“For rivals, you are surprisingly affectionate.”

“Rivals? Moka's never made a claim on Tsukune.”

Takurami snorted derisively.

“You're an idiot. That first Friday when you declared him your boyfriend, Ms. Akashiya clearly stated that he was hers alone before kissing him on the neck. I know I wasn’t the only one that saw that.”

As Tsukune blushed, Kurumu vaguely recalled something like that had happened. Moka had drank so much blood from Tsukune that the poor boy had passed out and they had been forced to carry him to the dining hall. Kurumu shrugged, pushing her fingertips against Moka's scalp as she massaged the vampire about the ear.

“Maybe she did say that. Is he your boyfriend, Moka?”

“Mhm.”

Kurumu frowned, ceasing her massage. Burumoto and Yougan both laughed as Takurami flashed her a smug grin. Blushing, Tsukune tapped Moka's desk.

“Are you serious about that Moka?”

“Hmm?”

“Kurumu asked you a question.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Moka turned her head, glancing up at Kurumu.

“What were you saying?”

Kurumu sighed.

“I should have asked if he was my boyfriend.”

“He's not-”

Moka paused, glancing down.

“I… Kurumu…”

She sighed.

“Know your place.”

Kurumu grinned, patting Moka's head.

“I do. It's in Tsukune's arms.”

Takurami groaned, perking up at the sight of Ms. Kagome entering through the front door.

“Ugh. Never have I been happier for a class to start.”

Yougan turned about in his seat, flashing the ebony haired boy with a wide grin.

“What's the matter, Mr. Takurami? A bit jealous?”

Takurami placed his elbow on his desk, leaning his cheek into his open palm. He flipped open his notebook, tapping the blank sheet with his mechanical pencil.

“It's nauseating. People should have proper manners and be more discreet with their relationships. It's inconsiderate to the rest of us.”

The tone of the bell signaled the start of class. Ms. Kagome wrote an equation on the board. Other students were quickly returning to their desks, so Kurumu released Moka to do the same. She opened up her notebook, wondering if she should copy the equation down.

She glanced to her right, favoring Shirayuki with a smile. The girl was not paying attention to her or the board. Shirayuki had her familiar notebook out that contained many random notes and sketches in the margins. The sketches were not particularly any good and the writing was too small and jumbled for Kurumu to casually make sense out of it.

Sighing, she looked beyond the girl, noting that Nerume was still sleeping. Having little else to do, she let her attention return to the board.

Ms. Kagome had written down three equations. The teacher set down the chalk on her podium, stepping out to address the class. She had the usual black pencil skirt and long sleeved jacket, though it was worn over a lavender blouse today.

“Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Would you please come to the board and factor these equations?”

She sighed, getting up from her seat. This was going to be embarrassing. Walking around to the other side, mostly because she did not want to walk down the aisle next to Hedoyami, Kurumu started for the front of the class. Kamitsuku, whom happened to sit in the front of the long haired blonde Dokiniji, flashed her a grin before she passed by. She resisted the urge to slug him in the shoulder, aware how he enjoyed her math answers.

Ms. Kagome had drawn lines to divide up the three sets of numbers. The first was 3x2 + 17x – 28. The one below it was 2a2 + 6a – ba – 3b. The last was 2y2 + xy +14y – x2 – 7x. Kurumu sighed. Where was the fucking equal sign? How was she supposed to solve any of this?

As she stepped up to the board, she glanced over at the teacher.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Find the factors for the equations.”

“So I'm not finding a value for any of these letters?”

“Correct. Simplify the equations into their factors.”

Kurumu frowned regarding the board once more. The simplest way would be to let x be zero. That would make the first equation be negative twenty eight. Picking up a piece of chalk, she started to write her conclusion.

Ms. Kagome dramatically sighed, walking over and clucking her tongue.

“No, no, dear. Let me remind you.”

Kurumu flinched when Ms. Kagome inexplicably caressed her cheek before taking the chalk from her. The woman drew up a pair of brackets, placing 3x in one and x in the other.

“Since 17 is rather large, it is safe to say that the 4 will be with the 3x and the 7 with the x. Then it's a matter of assigning the positive side with the 7, because the 17 is positive.”

Kurumu nodded, vaguely familiar with the process. This was multiplication?

The teacher smiled, handing the chalk back to her.

“Try the next one.”

Kurumu started making the brackets first, guessing that was the most sensible thing to do. She needed a 2a and an a for the tiny two thing to happen. It looked like she needed a b and a 3. Both of the b values were negative, so it was negative. The 3 could not be paired with the 2a, since she needed the 6a.

“Very good. And the last one.”

Holy shit, she had done that right? Okay. She drew up two brackets again, staring at the numbers she had to create. Was that many normal? She needed a 2y and a y, but she also required an x and a negative x. There was also a 7 that was needed to make that negative 7x. The 7 could not be paired with the negative x or the 2y. She felt like it was wrong to have three positive values in the second bracket.

“That's perfect, Ms. Kurono. It seems our lessons are finally bearing fruit.”

Ms. Kagome stepped in close and surprised her with a hug. The teacher's hand touched the back of her head, pushing her in close. She could smell the rich, floral scent of Ms. Kagome's perfume with her face pressed to the woman's ample bosom. Her body tingled with desire as several of her classmates started toying with fantasies of her and her teacher.

Tora cleared her throat, standing up from her seat.

“Ms. Kagome.”

The teacher laughed, releasing Kurumu.

“Yes, yes. Sorry. I cannot explain the joy a teacher feels when a student finally understands a subject.”

Kurumu nodded appreciatively to Tora, quickly hurrying back to her desk. Noting the smirk on Kamitsuku's face, she wagged her fingers in admonishment as she passed him by.

“I'd like to see her version of after school lessons.”

Kurumu sighed, supposing boys would be boys. She did not know Yougan well enough to chide him over his remark. Quietly she took her seat as Ms. Kagome gathered up a stack of papers and approached the front row of students.

“Today we will be having a test. I will be grading these tonight to judge our progress on this subject. It simply won't do for any of you to fall behind when midterms are only a couple weeks away.”

Yougan turned to Ikazuchi.

“Hey, do you think she will give us special lessons if we bomb the test?”

Kurumu accidentally snorted out a laugh. She covered her mouth as Ms. Kagome went from row to row, handing out five stapled sheets to each. Kurumu had to reach over her seat as Ikazuchi handed a sheet over Saizou's vacant desk between them.

“Aono Tsukune! Prepare to die!”

Kurumu turned as a small figure slammed the back door open. The auburn haired child had a long, white shirt stretched over her slender body. Her legs and arms were covered in a fine layer of auburn fur as she darted across the back of the room.

Moka reacted first, catching the girl in mid lunge. The child struggled in Moka's arms, swiping her claws through the air at the startled boy. Her tiny feet came down as she leaned into the vampire, trying to push her way through.

“Get out of my way! He tried to kill me!”

The shirt was hiked up in the back, revealing her furry little rump and three fox tails. Kurumu got up and placed her hand on the girl's head.

“Hiboshi?”

The child stiffened. She glanced over her shoulder, her faint yellow eyes watering. The tip of her upturned nose was black and her mouth had partially elongated into a small muzzle. Snarling, she slapped both her hands on Moka's left side, trying to shove the vampire aside.

“No! He has to die!”

Burumoto laughed, grabbing a fistful of the child's shirt and hauling the girl off her feet. She kicked at him as he held her aloft.

“Is this really Ms. Hiboshi? What happened to you?”

The child thrust her finger at the bewildered Tsukune.

“He killed me! Stupid jerk! Now put me down!”

“Netsuki?”

Irewata pushed between them, reaching up to the girl. Shrugging, Burumoto turned the child about and handed her Into Irewata’s arms. Hiboshi whimpered, but did not try to pull away from Irewata's grasp.

“Stupid rabbit. He should die for trying to kill me.”

“It was an accident, Netsuki. Nobody knew that would happen.”

Hiboshi huffed, pushing Irewata back. The fox girl stepped away, grabbing the front of her loose, oversized shirt.

“Look what he did! I'm tiny! I'm probably shorter than Ms. Sunao!”

Kurumu smiled. She did look about the same height as their timid Japanese teacher, which meant she was still taller than Yukari. For a girl that was going to end up Tsukune's height, she clearly had been a tall girl even at ten.

“I'm sorry about that, Ms. Hiboshi. I honestly didn't think I could tear that. I'm so thankful that Yukari was there to fix my mistake.”

Hiboshi whirled on Tsukune, smacking her flat chest with the back of her tiny fist.

“You call this fixed?! I have to go through puberty again, you bastard!”

Hiboshi lunged at him but was snatched up by her collar and pulled into Irewata's bosom. The fox girl struggled, her palms pushing on Irewata's shoulders. She writhed and twisted, finally breaking free of the hold with a heavy gasp. She whirled about, pointing angrily at the mousy haired girl.

“Leave me alone, Haruhi! Don't get in the way of my revenge!”

Kurumu chuckled, grabbing the girl from behind. The fox girl glanced up over her shoulder, an inquisitive look in her eyes. Smiling Kurumu pulled the girl up into an embrace. She rubbed the back of the girl's head as she held her close.

“We're really sorry, Hiboshi.”

Hiboshi gasped and whimpered. She kicked Kurumu in the shin, giving her a chance to break free. The fox girl darted away to the back door of the classroom. The sleepy Nerume was covering a yawn as she regarded the situation while holding the test sheets.

“You're all trying to smother me! It's sexual harassment.”

“What?”

“I’ll have you know I’m a respectable C cup. Don't flaunt your mammaries in my face!”

Nerume giggled but was promptly grabbed around the neck by the angry girl.

“Don't you laugh, you dimwit.”

The riding crop smacked the podium, demanding their attention. Ms. Kagome leveled a stern glare.

“Ms. Hiboshi. Take your seat. This is my classroom and I will not tolerate any more disruptions. Do I make myself clear?”

Hiboshi released Nerume, whom promptly rubbed her throat with a weak smile. The fox girl pointed angrily at them.

“But you see what they did! They put me back in my ten year old body!”

“Unless you are making an excuse for us to dismiss you from Yokai Academy, I insist you take your seat and participate in my test. As long as your mind is not that of your ten year old self, I could care less about your petty squabble.”

Hiboshi favored the teacher with a look of pained disbelief.

“Petty? They've taken years away from me.”

Irewata came up beside Hiboshi, reaching out to the girl.

“No.”

Hiboshi walked back to her desk. Her tails dispersed as she reverted back to a simple auburn haired child. She flopped in her seat, crossing her arms about her small chest.

Irewata went over to her own desk, grabbing her mechanical pencil. She handed it over to the fox girl, whom stared at it for a moment. Sighing, Hiboshi took the offered implement.

“You have the entirety of what remains of the hour to finish this test. Please try your hardest.”

Kurumu smiled as she took her seat and regarded the first questions of the exam. It looked not much different than the problems on the board. She had a good feeling about this.

* * *

This lunch interview idea had worked much better with the PSC helping. She had forgotten about how much time was lost in the lunch line. About five minutes into the wait, she had decided to make use of her time by officially interviewing the three soccer freshmen that had accompanied them.

She had started out with the bulked up boy from class two. Yano Nigiyaka had dull gray hair which he kept short. His longer bangs were all swept to the right, which were greased up to keep them solid. His smoky gray eyes almost matched the color of his hair. Satsuki confirmed that he was the tallest boy of her class and that she shared her shop elective with all three of these boys. While he might have been class two’s tallest, he was notably shorter than the other two boys.

Yano, like most of the freshmen, was not among the current eleven starters for the team. He was the only boy from the Yahiko district on the team. Kurumu had not heard of Yahiko before, which turned out to be a small district which bordered the Niigata city limits. He had mentioned Dokiniji Hana from their class was one of his acquaintances from junior high.

While she took down the proper notes about Yano, the other three casually chatted with Burumoto and Tamaishi. Kurumu had torn out a few pages of her notebook so that her friends could help, but Satsuki and Nerume had no examples to work from. They chatted aimlessly while Tora took some proper notes about Burumoto Ushio.

The first boy she had met coming to Yokai was the only freshman starter. He was the team’s sweeper to ease the burden off the goalkeeper, while also being the second tallest player on the roster. He had been training the past two years at his junior high for the explicit purpose of being on the same team as his mentor, Tsutsushi, whom was the senior center midfielder.

Before they had reached the serving line, Kurumu had started her interview with their other classmate, Tamaishi Kagomu. Tamaishi was the tallest guy on the team and was from the Yuzawa district. He went to the same junior high as Tsukune’s neighbor, Tanboshi Aku. It turned out that Tanboshi’s older brother, whom was a senior, was also on the team and starting as one of the wing back defenders.

There was not a whole lot to say about the quiet Tamaishi. He had aspirations of being the goalkeeper, but the team already had a senior starter, Hiroyama, covering that position with a junior, Kuromuro, waiting in reserves. Tamaishi lacked the stamina to play any of the more mobile positions on the field, so Coach Kotsubo was having him run a lot of laps after practice. It was hard to believe that she was two months older than this guy.

She had paused her interview to collect her lunch while Tora had shown the other two her notes on Burumoto so that they had a better understanding of what they needed to write down. After paying for her small meal, she had walked through the noisy cafeteria to join the dozen or so boys that had claimed two large tables for the soccer team.

Before starting to eat, Burumoto had introduced them to his team. At that time they were still missing five of their seniors, so the girls settled on eating some before starting any interviews. Kurumu had finished up her few notes on Tamaishi, before doing her interviews with Tanboshi’s older brother and the junior whom was also from Yuzawa. Her decision was mostly because she did not feel like getting up from her seat and it did not matter that much to her whom she interviewed. As long as she got at least three boys done, she could hope to finish the article up with another similar luncheon.

Tanboshi Itsuki was a taller, thicker version of his brother. His face was not as flabby as his brother’s but there was clearly a family resemblance. He had the same curly black hair that hung over his ears. He also had the same disinterested way of speaking, his thoughts clearly focused on something else. He could very well have been the only guy at the table to not show even a passing interest in her breasts. She had mentioned knowing his brother, but Itsuki had shrugged the subject off. In his opinion, judo was a lazy hobby and his brother only did it because he was too fat for a real sport.

The junior, whom was not on the starting team, was Hechiyado Noburo. Slightly taller than Itsuki, Hechiyado had longer black hair that graced his square shoulders. He had a black ring through the septum of his nose, which he had to remove during practice. He was the oldest junior, only two months younger than Itsuki, with his birthday having been last Wednesday. He had a laid back attitude, knowing that the coach would give priorities to seniors unless there was a vast difference in skill. For that reason he had not tried too hard to earn one of the three open starter spots on the team.

In random conversation with the three Yuzawa boys, she had picked up quite a bit about soccer, their schedule and the other boys. Over half the team were from Tokamachi, which she was already familiar with due to her track team interviews. She promised to make a mental note of that when it came to taking pictures, thinking the choir Ojiya photo had been a good idea.

As for soccer, she picked up that the sport could be played with seven to eleven players and that these players were divided among three different zones and the goalkeeper. There were forwards, defenders and midfielders. She honestly did not care much more than that.

As for their schedule, the team would be playing two games each weekend starting on Tsukune’s birthday weekend. They would play one game each against the other nine prefectures of the Chubu region. A season record would be kept, with the top four teams playing a quick single elimination tournament on the weekend of July sixteenth. The winner would go on to Nationals, which would be held over summer break.

Despite sitting at the same table, she had not paid much attention to which boys Satsuki had been talking with. The girl had apparently picked off both goalkeepers Kuromuro and Hiroyama. She was currently with some glossy black haired junior from Fujita’s class, which left only Tsutsushi Giichi for Kurumu to interview at their table.

The senior had cinnamon locks that were tamed by rows of tight braids fitted close to his scalp. Only his long bangs had escaped this treatment, spilling across his brow to almost touch his hazel eyes. He had come to Yokai because Coach Kotsubo had been his coach during his first year in junior high. Not caring much for the program ran by his local high school, Tsutsushi had decided to follow the man that had taught him to love soccer.

As she was taking her final notes, the first bell to end the lunch hour sounded. She had only touched about half of her lunch, knowing she would probably regret that come tomorrow morning.

“Are you sure there’s not anything else you would like to know?”

Kurumu shrugged. She had already taken note of his favorite things and his plans for the future. She had actually rambled a bit longer with him than she had with Hechiyado, whom had told her most of the generic facts about the team. She regarded the burly young man whom Burumoto and the others had expressed to be the recognized captain of their team.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask if you were dating anyone.”

Tsutsushi chuckled.

“Why? Are you interested?”

“I have a boyfriend.”

He grinned.

“You look the sort to have more than a couple of those.”

Kurumu smirked. She mildly wondered if Tsukune was enjoying his lunch with Yukari. The young witch had suggested buying some edibles from the school store, having done so on many occasions when she felt like her homemade lunch would not be enough. Apparently there was quite the assortment of nonperishables if you were not too picky about how nutritious your lunch was.

“That’s not exactly a compliment.”

“I’m unattached. Not saying that I haven’t tried to have a relationship, but girls can be finicky when it comes to mixing true forms. The moment they decide you’re not marriage material, they drop you like you never existed.”

“I hope you’re not lying about your true form.”

“It is tempting to do when you really want to be with a girl.”

A hand squeezed her shoulder. She glanced up at Satsuki, whom handed over her two sheets of paper. One of the sheets was completely blank as the other had notes written on both sides.

“I’m heading out.”

“Hey, thanks for this.”

Satsuki sighed, shaking her head.

“Yea, well… this was not that much better than having lunch with the big girls. If you’re doing this again, count me out. I’d rather hang out with Goto than be looked over like I was part of the dessert menu.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yea… I’ll see you another time.”

Kurumu waved as the girl started off. She was aware most of the boys not being interviewed were getting up and heading for class. Nerume was still chatting with this silvery blond haired boy with a long ponytail that hung down to his waist. He was a little taller than the young man next to him, whom had the same color hair though much shorter. They both had powder blue eyes.

She had heard that most of the boys from Tokamachi were related, though none were twins. Nerume had started with the chestnut haired Hatatachi brothers, both being starters in the midfield. The shorter, older one had the crewcut while the junior had a faux hawk. If she recalled correctly, the silver haired pair of boys were the Fuyukake brothers and the shorter one was a senior and a starter defender.

Tora walked over to hand over more sheets of paper.

“I started on Mr. Shimobe, but he left before we could finish.”

Burumoto grinned as he got up.

“Sorry. It seems you were thrown to the wolves.”

“Hmm?”

Tsutsushi chuckled as he also got up.

“He means the boys you handled were okami.”

Tora shrugged.

“They did have a similar scent to Ginei.”

Kurumu took the sheets, glancing the names over. Kusahase was a junior starter while the other two were seniors. All three were forwards. As she got up, she took particular interest in Fumusuna, finding it interesting that he had a twin sister in the skiing club. She wondered which girl from the skating rink that had been.

“I wonder what the skiing club does.”

“Skiing club? What makes you bring that up?”

“Ran into a couple Tokamachi girls this weekend at the roller rink.”

Tsutsushi laughed, making an exaggerated wave to them.

“You’re quite the busybody. “

“I suppose.”

“I will be off. I don’t want to be late for Ms. Okumura’s lesson.”

Tora nodded, favoring the senior with a smile.

“Do take care of my friend tomorrow in my absence.”

“You won’t be joining us?”

“I have been putting off a proper meeting with the student police for days now. I promised DeDe that I would finalize things tomorrow.”

Kurumu smirked, recalling how the foreigner had pushed the nickname on their initial meeting. As the senior left, she playfully tugged on Tora’s jacket.

“You’re calling her DeDe now?”

“May as well.”

“She’s trouble.”

“Trouble that got your naked butt back into the dorms with discretion.”

“What’s this about a naked butt?”

Kurumu glanced over her shoulder at the grinning Burumoto.

“Shouldn’t you head off to class?”

“We’re all heading to the same place. May as well walk with you.”

Kurumu shrugged, not caring one way or the other. The soccer team had twenty boys, eight of them being seniors. Nerume had done two seniors, so Shimobe was the only senior they had not finished. Honestly, she probably could get away with just Nerume’s help tomorrow.

“We’ll have to drag the little flirt away.”

Tora gestured to Nerume whom was laughing with the silver haired boy. The other one was tugging on his brother’s arm, clearly thinking they should go.

“She’s not even taking notes.”

“I guess that means she’s done.”

Kurumu walked around Tora to approach the second table the Tokamachi boys had claimed.

“Ms. Genzouyaki is a bit too friendly with boys.”

“She’s a sweet girl.”

“She’s a gutter mouth. I was embarrassed trying to do interviews next to her.”

Kurumu chuckled, aware that Nerume could be surprisingly crude at times. Still it was not on Yukari’s level of blunt perversion. Nerume would often blush at her own remarks, realizing when they went too far beyond good girl behavior. Kurumu walked over behind the girl, leaning forward to drape her arms over the girl’s shoulders.

“Come on, Nerume. We have to go to class.”

Nerume sighed. She lifted her hand, making a squeezing gesture at the boy.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

The older boy sighed, nodding as the younger one grinned broadly.

“See you tomorrow, Ms. Genzouyaki.”

Nerume grabbed up the sheets off the table before relaxing back into Kurumu’s grasp. She sighed again, handing the sheets up. Kurumu released the girl to arrange the sheets neatly in her notebook as the two boys hurried out of the emptying cafeteria. Glancing over the information, it looked like Nerume had made a serious effort to know these guys. There was much more notes than what Tora or Satsuki had written down, and she had managed to squeeze four boys into her lunch hour.

Oh. She had barely touched her lunch. That explained everything.

“You’re going to starve.”

Nerume chuckled as she got up. She twisted her wrist as another form of an odd wave upon noting Burumoto was with them.

“I’ll make up for it at dinner.”

Kurumu smiled, familiar with how much the girl could eat when she wanted to.

“Make any friends?”

Nerume sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Why are they all brothers? That will never work out.”

Kurumu laughed, grabbing the girl by the upper arm and tugging her. Tora took the cue and turned on her heel. The class rep fell in step with them while Burumoto eased over to Kurumu’s other side.

“Is there something wrong with them being brothers?”

“It makes it impossible to date one of them.”

Burumoto laughed.

“Are you shopping my friends for a date?”

Nerume shrugged.

“Maybe. Undecided.”

“Hmm. I can’t really say how well I know any of them beyond Tsutsushi. I know most those guys from Tokamachi are either Kirin or Okami, if that is important to you.”

Nerume sighed again.

“Well that’s depressing.”

Burumoto chuckled.

“Just as Giichi said. Immediately dismissed over true forms.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Actually, she is a Kirin.”

Tora sighed.

“I should remind everyone that we should not discuss true forms.”

“I don’t get it. It’s kind of obvious which ones are Okami.”

“That’s not the point, Mr. Burumoto.”

“You can’t date between brothers. It’s awkward.”

“They’re men. They’ll get over it.”

Nerume sighed.

“It would be different if one of them had a girlfriend.”

“The younger Nishimura has a girlfriend he came to school with. Her name is Tategami Minobi and I understand she is one of my cousin’s station partners in home ec.”

Kurumu smiled. Tategami had been the only ski club girl she had known at a glance.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I haven’t done the Nishimura boys yet.”

“You’re trying too hard. Just make some friends.”

“I have plenty of girlfriends. I don’t need a guy for a friend.”

Burumoto chuckled.

“That’s how a lot of guys feel about girls. No offense, Kurumu, but I would honestly have preferred you as a girlfriend over our occasional encounters.”

Kurumu smirked.

“I tend to recall you telling me that your family would never approve.”

“Of marriage. Like Tsutsushi said, you girls seem to be looking for a fairy tale ending. Aren’t we all a bit young for that? You should let yourself have some fun. Date a guy simply to have fun with him. You don’t need to marry every person you’re attracted to.”

Tora sighed heavily, shaking her head.

“Only a man would think so irresponsibly.”

“I’m sorry but a man is attracted to a lot of women. I’m sure half our class has a crush on both Kurumu and Moka. Irewata is another solid hottie and Hiboshi was pretty good looking before she got sent back to loli status.”

They had started down the long hallway just as the second tone sounded. They were officially late to their fifth period.

“Since we are talking about the girls in our class, I have a question for you, Mr. Burumoto.”

“Okay.”

“Sorachi. That’s within Hokkaido.”

Kurumu perked up.

“It is?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. I thought that was in the Kyushu region.”

Tora sighed, shaking her head.

“Her stupidity aside, I was curious if you knew Shirayuki from junior high.”

Burumoto shook his head. He rubbed his hand over his fine black locks before resting his thumb and forefinger upon one of the three garnet studs nestled in his left earlobe.

“I don’t, but I have been thinking about talking with her.”

“Why?”

“You remember I told you last week that our coach was attacked and incapacitated for a couple of days. It seems that Shirayuki was the one behind that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yea. She came to our practice last night and coach chased her off, saying that if she ever came close to him again, he would have her expelled.”

Kurumu shook her head.

“There’s no way. Shirayuki would never-“

A secret boyfriend. One that she could not tell anybody about.

“I guess she’s been stalking him since the start of school because he had been nice to her. This really has our coach nervous because I understand through Tsutsushi that our coach is on thin ice with the higher ups. He got caught having a relationship with a senior last year and was nearly fired over it.”

Kurumu paused at the base of the stairs. The path was not wide enough for all of them at once, so she allowed Tora and Burumoto to precede them. She rolled the new information about in her head.

“Tora. Remember when I said Shirayuki might have been dumped.”

Tora glanced back at them.

“Are you saying Shirayuki might have been having a relationship with Coach Kotsubo?”

“Yea.”

Burumoto shook his head fiercely.

“That’s just stupid. She probably has some silly crush on him and when he refused to return her feelings, she attacked him.”

Kurumu remembered her conversation with Shirayuki before the girl had lashed out at her. The girl had claimed that her secret boyfriend had tried to force himself on her. While she could take that at face value, knowing that the coach was quite familiar with crossing that line between a student and a teacher, it would be easy to pretend being rejected was something more serious. But if that was the case, why was Shirayuki only sharing this lie with her?

“Maybe you think too highly of your coach.”

“True, but I don’t know Shirayuki. She keeps to herself, so there’s no telling what might be going on inside her head. But Coach… this would be monumentally stupid of him. Not impossible. Guys do stupid things when it comes to getting a girl, but he stands to lose a lot here.”

“I hate to say this, but I have to agree with Mr. Burumoto. If Shirayuki attacked him, it would make more sense that this is a case of unrequited love.”

They had seen Shirayuki the day after the attack. She had not been injured in the slightest. While Kurumu was aware that not all wounds were physical, she hesitated in declaring Shirayuki might have acted in self-defense. Both stories were believable so it would come down to whom you believed more.

“I don’t think she meant to hurt him. There’s something wrong with her. She had an outburst in home economics last week. It’s like she can’t control her power.”

They reached the top of the stairs. Tora kept walking down the hall, ignoring the fact that the science lab was right there. With a glance through the window, Kurumu confirmed that Mr. Hakuru had already moved the class to the lab and was starting his lecture. She clutched her notebook to her chest, walking by Burumoto to follow after Tora whom seemed intent on their classroom.

“That could be true. My cousin mentioned Shirayuki had summoned a wall of ice towards the end of home economics last Thursday. Ms. Hitori had shooed everyone off to their next classes, though it was not like my cousin had anything better to do.”

“You seem pretty close to your cousin.”

“I don’t have much to do on Sundays, so I hang out with her and her friends.”

Kurumu grinned, glancing over her shoulder at the two that were trailing behind. Nerume looked so tiny compared to the massive young man.

“I’m surprised you don’t spend all your free time with your soccer club.”

“It gets boring hanging out with guys all the time. Though I do invite Tsutsushi along.”

“Of course.”

They walked in silence down the hall as they neared the actual classrooms. It would be impolite to talk in the hall, since most of the classes had a regular class fifth period. Tora reached the class first, opening the front door and walking in. Naturally with her desk in the front corner, she was able to retrieve her notebook and pencil before the rest of them could get to their desks.

“I’m curious, Mr. Burumoto. What are your thoughts about me stepping down as class rep?”

“Hmm?”

“I will be joining the student police soon, so I was wondering whom you would feel would be an appropriate replacement.”

Burumoto shrugged as he retrieved his things from his desk.

“I suppose whomever wants it.”

“What about you, Ms. Genzouyaki?”

“Tora, you can call her Nerume.”

Nerume giggled, shrugging.

“I don’t mind. As for class rep, I think Mr. Burumoto is correct. Whomever wants it should have it.”

Tora sighed.

“That seems to be the issue. I mentioned turning things over to Tomisaki, but he immediately refused.”

Burumoto chuckled.

“Of course.”

“Why of course? He helps me all the time with my duties.”

“It’s one thing to help a cute girl and it’s another thing to take over her job.”

Tora blushed, glancing aside.

“Okay… So how do we go about it if nobody wants it?”

“Maybe nominations?”

“But people can refuse nominations.”

Burumoto shrugged.

“The girl’s right though. If you have no volunteers, you nominate. Not every person nominated will refuse when they know someone else is looking up to them.”

Kurumu smirked.

“So whom would you nominate?”

“Well… I personally would avoid picking anyone in a sports club. I know how much work that is and I would find it annoying being nominated to carry the class rep responsibilities.”

“There are several class reps that are in sports.”

“They volunteered. We are talking nominations here.”

“True. Whom would you suggest?”

Burumoto paused, reaching up to stroke invisible whiskers on his chin.

“Dokiniji.”

“Dokiniji?”

“Yes. Centralized location. Perfect attendance. She's in the Ikebana club. Pretty hair and nice tits.”

Kurumu snorted as Tora sighed heavily.

“I’m thankful for your input, Mr. Burumoto. Your qualifications for my position are admirable.”

“Hey, I’m a simple guy. If you want a male alternative, I suppose Izanai would work.”

Tora sighed again.

“He’s already declined.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be much more help.”

“It’s okay.”

Tora tucked her notebook beneath her arm and lingered at the doorway. She nodded at the hall.

“We should get going before the male in the room says any other demeaning things.”

Kurumu smirked as she walked away from Burumoto holding her hand out to Nerume. She took the smaller girl’s hand and they walked to the front of the class.

“Oh come on. You can’t deny that Dokiniji has pretty hair and nice tits. Those are facts.”

* * *

It was difficult to be upset with a clingy redhead wrapped about her torso. If only the silly shojo would stop pushing all of that weight into her. She had nearly been pulled down to the floor three times, clutching the island counter each time to maintain her balance.

Already having finished up with the dishes, there was not much else to do in class today. They had been making apple and cherry pies. Once they had finished the prep work, they had put their pies in the freezer for Ms. Hitori to bake later. The instructor had stopped by each station at the start of the hour to confirm that everyone still knew how to set the timer and the oven temperature. She promised to have warm pies for the class tomorrow, admitting there would not be much else to do and that they might want to bring classwork from their other subjects to pass the time.

Shirayuki had tucked herself away in the corner, being her usual, silent and brooding self. The girl felt so unapproachable. Kurumu wanted to confirm she was right about Coach Kotsubo and that everything had been a misunderstanding, but she also did not want to cause a huge embarrassing scene in class. That would only make Shirayuki hate her, and she did not want that. They would be starting softball today, so she might have some time alone with the girl if she pretended not feeling well so she could sit on the sidelines with Shirayuki.

Mr. Hakuru had been too distracted to fuss over their late arrival to class. The absent minded science teacher was always like that. It also helped that all of them were at different stations. Mr. Hakuru did not seem to care as long as at least one student was at each lab station. She had seen Arashimideru work alone on several occasions when Tsukune and Moka were indisposed and Mr. Hakuru had yet to voice protest about that.

Natsudera had been curious about her tardiness, which she had explained her article efforts. Izanai had warned her about priorities, thinking she should take care of her academic work over club activities. Mostly in offhand conversation while taking notes on Mr. Hakuru's lecture, she had picked up that the gruff young man was part of the chess club. He felt it was a better hobby to indulge as he could compete with humans in a field that he had no physical advantages to be accused of exploiting.

Thinking of lab partners she knew little about, she was a little curious about how Nerume and Hanetsume dealt with the repulsive Hedoyami. They obviously kept their distance, but it was not like the big guy was trying to interact with them. Hedoyami was one of the few students actively interested in the lecture.

She was also a little curious about Burumoto's interest in Dokiniji. Burumoto was paired with Dokiniji and Chousei, which might explain why he had thought about the girl as a potential candidate for their new class rep. Natsudera had not heard anything from Chousei to suggest Burumoto had any real interest in the blonde, playfully teasing Kurumu for worrying over losing a member of her male harem. Kurumu had defended her comment, explaining Tora's impending departure from the class rep position which Izanai had declined. Both thought Dokiniji would be a decent candidate if nobody else wanted it. Natsudera personally felt a more popular student like Moka would be better.

Sakamori nuzzled the side of her head against Kurumu's right breast. As Tokori had suspected, the shojo had been too exhausted from their weekend debauchery. She was about a decade too young to be making large quantities of sake. Kurumu did not think five pitchers could compare to the alcohol a restaurant might serve, but Tokori reminded her that they were talking about a restaurant, not a bar.

Having her arm naturally draped over the girl, Kurumu gave the girl a squeeze.

“I wonder if there's an occupation for hugging. I'd hate to think Hinoko's only future lies in food service.”

Tokori shrugged as she leaned against the island counter with her elbows upon the smooth surface.

“It's not a bad line of work. She's very sociable.”

Asuka chuckled, walking over to tousle the girl's strawberry curls.

“She's very incoherent.”

Sakamori giggled, glancing up at the blonde.

“You wan drin wif me, Asuka?”

“Maybe. My birthday is coming up next week.”

“Asuka.”

The blonde turned and stuck her tongue out at her tall friend whom had brought a book and was reading it in the corner of their station.

“Your birthday is next Wednesday.”

“So? It's not like I have to have celebrate my birthday on Wednesday. We could do it on the Saturday before or after. It makes no difference to me.”

Kurumu grinned.

“Any particular plans?”

“Not really.”

“Whom all do you intend to invite?”

“Naturally I'll have Yuu, Suzume and Hatoko along. Michiko and Kiki too.”

“The girls you eat lunch with.”

“All of you are welcome to come along. That includes you, ice princess.”

Shirayuki glanced up from her notebook, touching the tip of her white stick in her mouth.

“Hmm?”

Asuka bounded over to the girl seated on the floor. The blonde hunkered down on her haunches, pointing out to Shirayuki's face. Shirayuki lifted her hand from her stick to ward off the close index finger which promptly tapped Shirayuki's palm.

“Don't be so frigid.”

Asuka withdrew her fingers, shaking them before placing them in her mouth. Shirayuki squeezed tighter into the corner, lifting her notebook to shield her face.

“Leave me alone.”

Asuka stood back up while sucking on her two fingers. She shrugged, walking back over to Kurumu.

“You okay?”

“Yea. Her skin is like touching ice.”

“That's natural for her.”

“It must suck. How is she ever going to be close to anyone with a body like that?”

Kurumu paused, glancing over at Shirayuki.

“Hey, Mizore. You can hug your family members, right?”

Sapphire eyes peered around the edge of her notebook.

“Yea.”

Kurumu smiled, deciding Shirayuki's behavior was the result of thoughtfulness. It was kind of sad, because that could have also been part of the reason why Shirayuki had pushed the coach away.

“So her body isn't an issue with others of her kind. She's just being cautious around us out of concern for our safety.”

Tokori huffed, wagging a finger at them.

“That's why she can't come to your party because the three of you don't know how to respect boundaries.”

Kurumu touched her chest, favoring the girl with an innocent look.

“I was well behaved in your home.”

Asuka giggled, shaking her head.

“I'm just talking about a day out in Mononoke. I don't have any plans for a drinking binge.”

“Why? Thash fun!”

Kurumu squeezed the redhead.

“You passed out first, silly girl.”

“I wash there in spirish.”

“So what do you have in mind?”

Asuka shrugged, hopping up to sit on the island counter.

“Goof off. Eat something. See a movie. Normal stuff.”

Kurumu smirked.

“You could try out the skating rink. Your four Tengu friends were all there.”

“I don't know. None of us know how to skate.”

Kurumu chuckled at the idea of Sakamori on skates.

“I think that makes it more fun.”

“I'd steer clear of the rink.”

Kurumu frowned at Tokori.

“That's Fusamina's territory. Can’t imagine him being cool with a bunch of pure bloods having fun on his turf.”

“We met that guy. Leader of the skating club, right?”

“Yea. I'm not saying that he will pick a fight. It would look kind of bad with you all being a bunch of girls and he does have his pride. He tends to keep the other boys in the club out of trouble to avoid the attention of the student police.”

“Are they all monstrels?”

Tokori scowled at Asuka.

“And what if they are? The club advisor, Mr. Saitou, looks after those boys. If it wasn't for him and Fusamina's discretion, I'm sure the student police would have pretended like they were terrorists and massacred them in the name of justice.”

Asuka frowned, reaching over to Tokori, whom promptly withdrew from the island to grab up her schoolbag.

“I'm sorry, Tokori. I was just asking.”

Tokori slipped the strap over her shoulder, smoothing out her black student police jacket.

“A stupid question. Try the bowling alley. I'm sure your mouth won't get you in trouble there.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it.”

Tokori sighed.

“I'm heading to class.”

“But the first bell hasn't sounded yet.”

“Ms. Hitori said we can leave when we want and I'm not in the mood to talk to you anymore.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Hey, lighten up, Tokori.”

Tokori glared at Kurumu. Shaking her head, she turned away and stalked off. She nodded to the trio of buxom girls at station sixteen before sliding open the back door of the room and stepping out into the hallway. She politely closed the door behind her.

“She hates me.”

Taijin chuckled, setting her book aside on the counter.

“No, she doesn't.”

“If I asked her to come to my birthday, she wouldn't come.”

“You haven't even decided when or where. She has work on the weekends, so you would have to plan around that. Ms. Kurono. Do you know what her work schedule is like?”

Kurumu shrugged.

“She worked eleven to four last Saturday, but I didn't ask if that was her regular shift.”

“Could you ask her for me? She'll probably be upset if I say anything to her tomorrow.”

Taijin chuckled.

“As if you would be quiet. You pester her more than anyone in our group.”

“I don't pester her.”

“You don't know how to be any other way.”

Taijin grinned as she grabbed Asuka's head in her palm and shook the girl playfully. The blonde pushed away from her tall friend, scooting off the island to flee behind Kurumu for safety.

“Keep your man hands away from me!”

Taijin chuckled stepping around the counter and wiggling her fingers as she slowly approached. Kurumu had nowhere to go while being used as a shield and a body pillow. Taijin smiled, placing her large hands atop Sakamori's and Kurumu's heads.

“You know this chatterbox has to be told routinely to keep quiet in class. Bikiyama regrets her decision to sit next to you because you keep pestering her when she tries to take notes.”

“Well… nobody else talks to me.”

“It's during class.”

“Class is boring.”

“Deal with it.”

Asuka tugged on the back of Kurumu's sweater.

“Should we go to gym? I know it's a little early but Yuu gets embarrassed dressing in front of other girls.”

Taijin blushed, turning her head aside.

“I do not.”

“I suspect Yuu was a man in her past life and struggles against the urge to embrace all the cute girls that surround her in the locker room.”

Taijin huffed, crossing her arms about her chest.

“I guess that means you're safe.”

Kurumu chuckled, struggling to get Sakamori detached.

“Could you take this one with you? I was wanting to have a few words with Shirayuki.”

Shirayuki stirred at the sound of her name. The girl watched as Taijin reluctantly accepted the clingy redhead. Her eyes meeting Kurumu's, Shirayuki set her notebook aside and picked herself up from the floor. She bent down to retrieve her notebook and mechanical pencil, stuffing them in her pocket.

“Are you coming to gym with us?”

Shirayuki shook her head, pointedly walking on the other side of the island counter.

“Hey, Mizore. I kind of wanted to talk with you.”

“I'm going back to my room.”

“To the dorm?”

The girl nodded, walking across the room intent on the back door.

“Hey, wait up.”

Kurumu's hand was grabbed by Asuka, preventing her from following after the determined Shirayuki. Shirayuki slid the door open and walked out, leaving it open.

“Do you think it's normal for her to keep skipping classes like that?”

Kurumu sighed as the blonde started walking slowly towards the door, tugging Kurumu along.

“I don't understand her. I feel like she's in trouble but she won't let anybody help.”

Asuka giggled as they stepped out into the hall. Shirayuki was walking towards the front of the school, likely doing as she stated. Asuka tugged on her hand, encouraging her to head towards the cafeteria and gym in the opposite direction.

“She's going to be in trouble if she misses too much school. Sure, it's just gym and that optional eight period nonsense, but she skipped out Friday and a couple days before that last week. Who knows what might happen to her if she skips out on midterms?”

Kurumu followed after the energetic blonde, supposing she could try again another day. While she still had to finish up her article research tomorrow, she should have her lunch hour free by Thursday. She would make an effort to speak with Shirayuki then.

Since softball fielded more players, the coaches had opted against splitting the groups up by class. Kurumu's class would be combined with Asuka's class, since both were under Coach Hoshineru's supervision. She imagined this was because some of the classes only had about eight to ten girls and they only had two playing fields. Less teams would be easier on everyone.

“Oh, if you are coming to my birthday party, no boyfriend.”

“Huh?”

“No boyfriend. No guys. It won’t be fun with you flaunting a boyfriend.”

“I'm not going to flaunt Tsukune.”

“Just promise you won't invite him, okay?”

Kurumu smiled as they entered the cafeteria.

“Fine. I won't bring him.”

“Cool. So how far have you gone with him?”

Kurumu blushed.

“We… well… Tsukune has problems expressing his feelings for me.”

Asuka giggled.

“Aren't all guys like that?”

“Not really. Most of the guys I know have no issue complimenting me.”

“Compliments are not feelings.”

“I guess. What makes you think guys have trouble expressing their feelings?”

Asuka shrugged.

“I don't think I've ever heard my father utter the word love. If mother didn't say it regularly, I would think he had no idea the word existed. My brother isn't any better. What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What about your father? Is he affectionate?”

“I… I don't have a father.”

Asuka paused at the doors for the large gymnasium. She smiled, tugging Kurumu into the vast room.

“That's okay. I bet your mother is as gorgeous as you are. It would be hard for any guy to tie such a woman down.”

Kurumu sighed, not wanting to discuss such a sore subject.

“Tora has a doting father. I'm sure he has no trouble expressing his feelings.”

Even though he was being controlled by Tora's mother.

“She does? I'm jealous. You would be scared of Yuu's father. He's taller, bigger and meaner. He could probably pick you up in one hand and squash you like a tube of toothpaste.”

Kurumu grimaced, not enjoying that imagery.

“What about Akashiya? I imagine her father must be this stoic, powerful being that gazes upon his subjects like they were ants beneath him.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I guess. I can't say if Moka has ever met her father.”

“See. Distant and detached. What about Aono's father? I bet he's similar to Moka's father, the whole, I'm powerful, feelings are a sign of weakness, blah blah blah.”

“Tsukune only has good things to say about his father.”

“That doesn't translate to affectionate. You can be proud of your parents and still feel unloved.”

That hit Kurumu a bit harder than expected. Did Moka feel like that? Did Tora? Yukari? When she thought about it, she had never doubted her mother's love for her. Never. Her mother was an idiot, but everything she did was with good intentions.

“Hey, don't drag your feet.”

“Sorry. I… I think Tsukune has a good relationship with his parents. He worries about telling them about being in a club full of girls because it would worry his mother.”

“That's natural. My mother always worried about my brother sleeping around with a bunch of girls.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Yea… while the father would encourage it.”

“See. You do understand how it works. It's always been up to the women to keep the boys in check because they would sleep with livestock if we didn't keep watch over them.”

“I don't think guys are like that. Tsukune has been a perfect gentleman with me.”

They reached the stage and started down the small partial hall that ended with the door to the girls' locker room. On Kurumu's left was the storage room door in which the new PSC members shared their lunch hour.

“He must really love his mother.”

“Huh?”

“You have a momma's boy. If he hasn't done anything with you, it's because he values her opinion more than his father's.”

Kurumu smiled as Asuka opened the door to the locker room. There was quite the bustle as many girls wandered about the aisles, getting changed out of their gym clothes. The outside door was left open as more girls came in from the exterior.

Kurumu parted with Asuka as she made her way to the last bank of lockers where her things were stored. While Kurumu knew several of the girls from this gym period, none happened to share her aisle of lockers. She ignored the girls whom similarly paid her no attention as she removed her padlock, retrieving her things.

Her home economics elective had the shortest distance to the locker room, so even if they had been let out at the sounding of the first bell, they would have most likely gotten here before the girls from the other electives. It was hard to say if band or choir had the next shortest distance, considering a boy in band was walking to a locker room on the other side of the gym. A girl had a bit longer of a walk, so a choir girl might have a shorter distance.

It was a little sad knowing that Moka, being from the art building, was always one of the last girls to make it to the lockers. Now that things had settled into a reliable pattern, Kurumu almost never saw the vampire in the locker room despite her sad effort to have the vampire switch lockers to be closer to her. She sighed, thinking she should consider swapping her locker with Nerume. At least then Moka would have some company, since the two of them shared the art elective.

The first bell sounded as she hung up her blouse and sweater. It did not take her too long to change her gym clothes, but Asuka managed to get over to her locker before she had finished putting away her skirt and shoes.

“Do you wear your gym clothes under your uniform?”

Asuka giggled, shaking her head.

“No. I'm always wearing a sports bra.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Kurumu smiled as she snapped the padlock back on and bent down to put on her shoes.

“You realize all the cute things are for smaller girls. I'm stuck with the most boring selection and end up with undersized sports bras.”

Asuka rolled her electric blue eyes.

“Oh, woe is me.”

“Sorry. I just wish I could have something other than black, white and tan.”

“Why don't you spray paint them?”

Kurumu frowned as she tied her laces.

“That sounds dumb.”

“Okay, maybe not spray paint, but you can always try shibori. If you can tye dye cotton shirts, you can tye dye cotton bras.”

Kurumu smirked as she shook her head.

“That would look horrible.”

She walked by the girl, slipping through the open door to the outside. Asuka followed closely on her heels as they headed out into the bright afternoon.

“Where's Taijin?”

“She's tied up with Hinoko. You want to see my sports bra?”

“Not really.”

Asuka ignored her remark, tugging up her shirt to exposed one of her supported breasts. The cup was a bubblegum pink while the rest of the bra was black. It seemed even smaller sports bras were more fashionable than the garbage blessed girls could choose from. She swore that all bra designers must be bitter, flat chested women that hated girls like her.

“I thought rubbing them an hour or so every day would make them bigger, but that hasn't done squat. I'm the same size as I was when I was twelve.”

“You don't need bigger boobs.”

“You do if you want to get a boy's attention.”

Kurumu shook her head, doubting she would ever understand why her small breasted friends wanted so badly to be noticed. It really was not that special to be looked over as an object of desire. Kurumu had to put up with it because her body needed the attention. She wondered if there were other succubi that had this same need with smaller, normal bodies that would not immediately catch a man's attention.

The coaches were still all lined out in the athletic fields. She saw that the male coaches had divided up the soccer field in the center of the track. The coaches were by themselves, chatting among each other as they waited for their next class to arrive.

“I'm going to talk with Coach Kotsubo, Asuka. I'll catch up with you later.”

“Aww… okay.”

Kurumu jogged by the bleachers and onto the track. Like the girls, the boys had six gym teachers. Two of the male instructors were nearly identical, though the Miwa brothers were four years apart. Ginei had mentioned that the younger Miwa brother, Kumoi, was his gym instructor whom was also the Karate club's advisor. Both men had feathered chocolate hair with sharp angular faces and hawkish noses. These two were talking with a taller, massive man with a shaven head that gleamed in the sunlight.

She spied her target, whom was amicably chatting with the curly, orange haired Coach Enkan, whom was in charge of the basketball team. Enkan was the tallest coach on the field, though every single one of them would tower over a normal sized guy like Tsukune. Then again, that kind of described half the soccer team she had lunched with.

Kotsubo was about Tsutsushi's height with a tangled mess of teal locks. He had a trio of black pearl stones in the lobes of both of his ears. He glanced over his shoulder upon noting Enkan's interest, the corner of his lips turning up in a slight smile as she arrived.

“Well, well. Ms. Kurono. I hear you have been taking good care of my boys.”

She smiled, stopping several paces shy of him to offer a polite bow of her head.

“Coach Kotsubo. I'm sorry I did not make the time to speak with you before I started with them.”

“Not at all. The boys are fired up about getting the first look in the paper.”

Coach Enkan laughed.

“That’s only because your season starts before the rest of ours. Everyone knows my basketball team is more important.”

“Tell that to Miyazawa.”

Coach Enkan chuckled, smacking Kotsubo's shoulder.

“I'll leave you alone with the little lady.”

“You know that's how I always end up in trouble.”

Coach Enkan laughed as he started off.

“I'll be watching you. Closely.”

Kurumu smiled, waiting for the basketball coach to put some distance. Looking to the ballfields, she noticed the golden haired Hoshineru on the left field near the third base line. The woman was still alone though Asuka was slowly making her way over to the dugout. Coach Kibashiro was standing out in centerfield while Coach Yaisoku was on the first base line.

“So are we doing an interview?”

Kurumu grinned, holding her hands up.

“I wasn't thinking about that. Sorry.”

Coach Kotsubo chuckled.

“I see. So what is it that you want?”

Kurumu smiled, carefully avoiding his gaze. Her charm was such an annoying thing. Half the soccer boys had thought she was being shy before Burumoto had reminded them about her ability to charm with a simple glance. She could tell by the coach's desire that he was mistaking her efforts as interest in him.

“I was wondering when would be a good time to have the team's photos taken?”

“Oh. Hmm. Well I heard you're after school hours were being monopolized by Ms. Kagome.”

“They told you about that?”

“A few of my boys are quite taken by you. Every year there seems to be a couple special girls that come to this school that everyone starts talking about. Last year it was Udetama and Okimune.”

“Okimune? From choir?”

Kotsubo grinned.

“Surprising you would know about her. You must have friends in the choir.”

“I know a few.”

“She's a sweetheart. Much like you.”

Kurumu blushed. It was so strange getting a compliment from a grown man.

“Well… about those pictures.”

“Ah yes. You could come around for our weekend soccer practice. Two in the afternoon.”

“That should be fine.”

Kotsubo chuckled, turning and gesturing to the ball fields.

“Now run along to your class. But slowly now. It won't be just your eyes charming the boys if you take things too fast.”

Kurumu reflexively brought a hand up to cover her bosom. She softly bit her lip.

“Did you flirt with Shirayuki?”

Kotsubo's expression hardened. He glanced away, taking note of the other coaches.

“You're a really sweet kid. Is she a friend of yours?”

“Not really. I share a lot of classes with her.”

He sighed heavily.

“What a troublesome girl. She must be saying horrible things about me.”

“Were you having a relationship?”

Kotsubo snorted.

“Of course not. I might flirt a little, but I don't expect girls to take every word I say to heart. I think Ms. Shirayuki has made a mistake.”

Kurumu felt it would be unwise to ask if he tried to have sex with Shirayuki. He would obviously deny that. Still, he was admitting to flirting with the girl.

“I think you should not have been flirting with her.”

“I wholeheartedly agree. It’s easy to forget that young girls like you are still children when you’re bodies are fully developed.”

She could feel the hunger of his lust as he looked her over. He glanced aside with a sigh.

“But Yokai is not a good place for Ms. Shirayuki.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because that girl still needs her family. She's not ready to be apart from them. A local high school would have been a much better environment for her.”

“I guess.”

“Has she been spreading lies about me?”

“What?”

“What has she been saying? How many people has she told about this stupid crush of hers?”

“I… I'm the only one she told about it.”

Kotsubo sighed with much relief.

“Thank God for small favors. That girl is emotionally unstable and a danger to our school. It would take hours to get a member of her family here, if not a couple days. It's best for everyone if she leaves.”

Kurumu was torn in both ways over this. She could see this guy trying to force himself on Shirayuki and now that the relationship had failed, he was trying to get rid of the girl. But he was not lying about Shirayuki being unstable. The girl clearly lacked control of her powers.

Hands touched firmly upon her shoulders.

“You're a good girl, Ms. Kurono. I can tell you're very worried about your classmate. That's admirable.”

Kurumu swallowed. She had to know. She glanced up at him, watching his deep blue eyes glaze over.

“Since you care about me, will you answer one question?”

“Yes.”

“Did you try to have sex with Shirayuki?”

“No.”

There was no hesitation. This heavy weight of guilt burdened her heart, knowing he would remember this inquiry. She covered her mouth, trying not to cry.

“I'm sorry, Teacher. I'm sorry I doubted you.”

The coach stood there in a daze, staring off beyond her. She nodded, slipping free of his grasp. She hurried towards the far fence. There was a gate near the center closest to the small building that served as the guest locker rooms. Wanting to get away as quickly as possible, she covered her chest as she broke out in a small jog.

Shirayuki had lied to her.


	7. Private Sessions

Kurumu hated waking up in such a hot and bothered state. Her crotch was sweating with desire as her little spot ached for attention. The sensations of making out with another girl remained fresh in her mind. This dream girl had been notably taller and strong, kissing with such ferocity. Kurumu had known Tsukune would take her from behind at any moment.

She glanced up from her pillow, squirming with her bare thighs pressed tight. It was twelve minutes before six. She whimpered, wishing her dream had finished what it started. She was on the verge of ecstasy. Rubbing her cheek against her pillow, she let her right hand drift down.

So aroused, she wondered if she could do more. Ignoring her swollen clit, she tried to push one fingertip inside of her. Knowing her own body, she could manage without hurting herself the way Tsukune had in his clumsy attempt. It still did not feel right. She just wanted release and she doubted pushing another finger in would satisfy this hunger.

She mewled as her fingers touched upon the spot that wanted attention. She bit her lower lip, trying to keep her voice down as she quickly pushed herself over the edge. She moaned faintly as love juices squirted around her fingers to soil her futon. Her butt twitched while clenching her other fist. Her heart fluttered as she pressed her fingers in the perfect spot to prolong these waves of pleasure. It felt so good. She wanted him. She wanted to feel like this while in his arms.

She watched the time crawl forward as her body ached for more. Such a greedy thing. The scent of sex was overbearing and she did not want to move. She thought about pushing two fingers in, but she did not want to ruin this feeling. Maybe later when she was bored.

At some point, Kurumu needed to wash her bedding. Ever since Yukari had cast that spell on Tsukune to make him tear her panties off in the infirmary, she had been masturbating at least three times a week. It was a blessing so few people visited her room. Yukari was in no position to chastise her and it would not surprise Kurumu if the innocent vampire did not recognize the scent. Moka might not understand what masturbation was.

Picking herself up, Kurumu noted she still had about three minutes before her alarm. She preemptively turned the thing off, setting her pillow aside. Her single sheet had been kicked off in the night. Folding and picking up her futon, she shuffled over to her open closet. Stepping up on the lowest shelf, she shoved the bedding in its place.

She turned as she pulled her tank top over her head. Chucking it in the direction of her hamper, Kurumu grabbed a towel and her shower things. She needed to buy a shower caddy this weekend. The school store did not have them and she had completely forgotten to do it last weekend. Slinging the faded, coarse towel over her shoulder, she walked to her door with the rest of her things cradled between her left arm and tits. Letting her door rest on the deadbolt, she crossed the hall to the showers.

The tiny sound of singing accompanied the patter of water against the floor. Kurumu smiled, familiar with the young girl that graced the showers this early in the morning. The little singer probably would have finished by now if not for getting caught up in this song. The little girl was begging someone not to get hurt and some other things that got drowned out by water before repeating yes and no and ending with Honey Flash. Her blue and white floral pattern towel was hung over the far shower door.

“Morning Dakuhime.”

Kurumu opened up the stall next to the girl’s, tossing her towel over the door after closing and twisted the small handle to secure it.

“Ms. Kurono?”

“Mhm.”

“Oh, good morning!”

Kurumu chuckled as she turned on the water.

“So how have you been?”

“I’ve been fine. Yourself?”

“No real complaints. Hoping to finish up my notes for the soccer team today.”

She quickly realized she had dabbed way too much shampoo in her palm for her hair. She sighed as she made quick work of lathering up her locks. She heard the knob turning in the shower stall next to her as the water flow steadily ceased.

“It’s cool that your club is so interactive.”

Picking up her loofa, Kurumu squeezed a dollop of body wash into it. She started scrubbing her arms to lather the soap up.

“Why do you shower so early?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m curious. You’re not a class rep so I don’t know why you would be in such a hurry to get to school.”

Kurumu moved her loofa about her belly and breasts, aware that her nipples were slightly sore. She bent down to lather up her thighs and legs, the water rinsing off the suds as quickly as she made them.

“Oh. Well… I only shower early. I take my time getting to school.”

Kurumu felt it made some sense, though with six showers for twenty two girls, there usually was not an issue of all the showers being in use. The elevators were the bigger chokepoint, since there were only two for the whole seven story building.

“Why do you shower early, Ms. Kurono?”

Kurumu chuckled, unsure why she was still doing this. It was far too early to mess with Moka. She scrubbed what she could of her back before dropping her loofa on the floor next to the bottles.

“Habit I guess. Though being up this early has some flexibility.”

She heard the shower stall open and the soft sound of the girl’s feet stepping out.

“For what?”

“I can visit any of my friends if I’m up this early. Like I can go down and chat with Tora or I can nag Moka till she gets out of bed.”

Kurumu grinned as she bowed her head into the water, rinsing out the shampoo.

“I can even visit my boyfriend if I want. I haven’t done that in a while.”

Though she had her reasons. Maybe someday when she felt like he wanted her to, she would do that again. For now, she would try not to push him so hard.

“You’re so popular, Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu laughed as she finished rinsing out her hair. She stood in the water for a couple seconds, wondering if there was anything left to do in here. She had left her conditioner behind, unsure if short haired girls even needed it. She had never heard of guys conditioning their hair.

“I wouldn’t say that. Moka and Tora are both from my club. So is my boyfriend.”

“Yea… but we all knew about you before you did our article.”

“Natsudera and Chousei are in my class.”

“I suppose.”

Kurumu cut off the water. She grabbed up her towel, drying her hair with ease.

“Someone as tiny as me would never get a boyfriend.”

Kurumu sighed as she dried off her arms and torso.

“Aww… don’t say that. I think every girl feels like that for one reason or another.”

“I guess. I don’t mean to trouble you.”

“What about that boy from the film club? I know he’s from your class and you were talking with him.”

“You mean Mr. Tamura? He only talks to me because he’s intimidated by the other girls.”

Kurumu smiled as she fetched all her shower goods. She decided to bag them all up in her towel before turning the latch to open her shower door. She stepped out and was greeted with a gasp. The small girl had her towel wrapped about her torso, holding a shower caddy in one hand while the other covered her mouth, her pitch black eyes wide with shock.

“You’re hair!”

Kurumu laughed, bringing a hand up to tousle her damp locks.

“Yea. It was becoming a hassle so I shortened it.”

“It’s so different.”

“Zenpyou from class eleven did it for me on Monday.”

Kurumu glanced the girl over, intrigued. She looked almost the exact same size as Hiboshi.

“Hey… would you mind visiting someone with me after I get dressed?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, if you’re not doing anything.”

“Um… sure. I’m in 601 so just knock on the door.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

They smiled and went their separate ways. Kurumu’s room was so close to the showers that she was in her room before the small girl was even to the elevator lobby.

As Kurumu slipped into a simple black bra with the front clasps and the black with white hearts boyshort panties, she wondered how Hiboshi would feel about meeting Dakuhime. She hoped neither girl would feel insulted.

Kurumu had not been able to feel too troubled about the revelation of Shirayuki’s deception at the start of gym yesterday with how much trouble Hiboshi’s arrival had caused. The girls from Kagome’s class had flipped out, fawning over the small Hiboshi much to the fox girl’s distress. Tiring of the unwanted affection, Hiboshi had snatched up a bat, promising Kurumu death for what she had done. Sadly the girl ran her down with ease. It was impossible to run fast while holding her tits. Coach Yaisoku had to pull the rabid fox girl off Kurumu before any serious damage was done.

Coach Yaisoku was a Jorougumo, like Lady Hineri. The coach had not been happy about revealing her web ability, rebuking Coach Hoshineru over her lack of control over her students. This was not the first time she had seen these two clash. Coach Yaisoku had left her class in Coach Hoshineru’s care in order to take Hiboshi to the disciplinary room. They had not seen Hiboshi for the rest of the day.

As she smoothed her sweater over her blouse, she wondered if she should visit the school store again and put in the order for more uniforms. She really wanted to hear back from Mother before doing that, and getting through the week on her shortened supply had not been too difficult. She probably had a letter in her mailbox, though it would not be a response to her letter.

It was about ten after six when she finished tidying up her room and slipped back out into the hall. Her shoes dangled from her bag next to the small frog. She had forgotten the combination to her shoe locker downstairs, considering she had not planned on ever using it.

The showers were back in full force as she wandered down the hall. She passed by the elevator lobby. The last stretch of hallway had odd numbered rooms on her right. The first was Zenpyou’s room while 605 belonged to Hiboshi. The next one was one of the Takeuchi girls, but Kurumu did not recall which one had the pigtails and which one had the ponytail.

She knocked on the last door at the end of the hall, glancing out the window at the end of the hall. She had never looked out before. She could actually see over the trees and make out the parking lot for the dining hall and dorm rooms from here.

The door drew open. The small girl had her bag slung over her shoulder. Her tiny jacket made her look less womanly than the towel she had worn earlier. Her fine hair fell down about her shoulders with a slight crinkle in the strands. The girl usually brought all these strands on the sides up into braids above her ears, but it looked better down. Dakuhime gestured across the hallway.

“Can I wake up Toshiko?”

Kurumu frowned, unsure why she would trouble Dakuhime’s childhood friend.

“Let’s see if Hiboshi is friendly first.”

“Hiboshi? Who is that?”

Kurumu frowned.

“Uh… she’s a classmate of mine.”

“Oh, okay.”

Shaking her head, Kurumu wandered over to 605 to knock on the door.

“Oh, she lives on our floor.”

“I’m surprised you don’t know her.”

Dakuhime blushed, glancing aside.

“I don’t talk to anyone other than Toshiko on our floor.”

“You probably know her. Or at least you did.”

“I stay in my room a lot so I can't say that I noticed.”

Kurumu knocked on the door again. Smiling at Dakuhime, she gestured across the hallway.

“Her two friends live across the hall. I used to see the three of them together when I took my morning shower before I changed my routine.”

As she was about to knock again, she heard the deadbolt drawn back. The door pulled open as a sleepy Hiboshi peered around the door with eyes half closed. A pastel yellow nightgown barely hung on her torso, her right shoulder exposed. The silky fabric pooled upon the floor, hiding her feet. Hiboshi grimaced at her, slipping back behind the door and pushing it. Kurumu wisely stepped in to prevent the door from closing.

“Hey, I wanted you to meet someone.”

Hiboshi sighed, releasing the door and shuffling back in her room. Kurumu pushed her way in, gesturing for Dakuhime to follow. The nervous girl stepped in after her, but lingered in the doorway.

Kurumu had been in Hiboshi's room before. In the far left corner the fox girl had erected a wooden bed frame which she had placed her futon atop of. Her friends had helped assemble it on the first day of move ins. Hiboshi could not fathom why Kurumu thought it so special to have a bed. It was not like the dorm rooms were used for social gatherings, so there was no reason to free up floor space.

Hiboshi had dozens of small, stuffed animals, most being rabbits, cats and rodents. They were strewn about haphazardly upon the salmon pink comforter drawn over her futon. The comforter was twisted by weight, but was tucked in at the sides. Kurumu suspected the girl slept on top of her comforter to avoid the hassle of making her bed every morning.

In the near left corner stood a matching chestnut desk upon cabriole legs that sort of resembled a horse. Only a family portrait rested on the bare surface. Hiboshi's schoolbag hung from its strap upon the bannister style back of the chair pushed up next to the writing desk.

On her immediate left closer to the door was a bookcase which had an assortment of hard backed books, CDs and more stuffed animals. The top was cluttered with small trophies and a couple portraits of Hiboshi in her tennis gear.

Hiboshi had wandered over to the closet on the right side of the room. She opened up her closet, staring at it a couple moments. Sighing, she glanced back over at them.

“What do you want?”

Kurumu stepped aside to gesture at Dakuhime.

“This is Dakuhime Mayumi from the choir. She's from class twelve and lives in 601.”

Hiboshi glanced at the girl and back to Kurumu. She lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned.

“And?”

Dakuhime stepped closer, tugging on the sleeve of Kurumu's blouse.

“Is this a good idea, Ms. Kurono? She seems upset.”

“She's upset at me.”

Kurumu reached up to grab one of the portraits off the top shelf. The image of Hiboshi was grinning at the photographer while holding a large trophy, dressed in a white polo and cotton shorts. It had to be less than a year old. Smiling, Kurumu handed it over to Dakuhime.

“Don't touch my stuff.”

“This is Hiboshi Netsuki.”

“Wait, I have seen this girl.”

Dakuhime looked up from the portrait, wide eyed.

“What happened?”

Kurumu chuckled as Hiboshi sighed. The fox girl angrily walked up and snatched the portrait out of the other girl's hands. Standing closer together, it was clear that these two girls were about the same size. Hiboshi glared at Kurumu before lifting up on her toes to place the portrait back in its place.

“Depends on which rumor you want to believe.”

Kurumu resisted the urge to pat the fox girl's head. She could tell why Satsuki enjoyed the company of shorter girls. It did make you feel older.

“We had a little mishap that caused Hiboshi to revert to her ten year old body.”

“Oh. Will she turn back?”

Hiboshi sighed, walking back to her closet. She tugged her nightgown over her head and dropped it in a white hamper that was perched inside the closet. Her three tails wagged in unison as she selected a pink towel to wrap about her torso. With that momentary glimpse, Kurumu concluded the fox girl was more developed than Yukari even with this young body.

“Maybe. I didn't get a chance to talk with Yukari about it yesterday.”

“It won't work.”

“Why not?”

Hiboshi tightened the towel about her, tucking it in to hold it in place. Her tails swished side to side as she picked up her white caddy laden with shower things. Turning about, the fox girl approached them.

“My soul is stronger than it was before. That's why I have three tails.”

“That doesn't mean we can't restore your body to the way it was before.”

Hiboshi rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“That body was shaped for two tails.”

She gestured at the pictures on the shelf.

“In five years, I'm not going to look exactly the same as I did. I don't know what you guys did, but I shouldn’t have three tails. My charm wasn't even a decade old. It should have taken three decades to store up enough power for a chance at the emergence of a new tail. Even then, it's not guaranteed.”

Kurumu frowned. Lady Hineri had made Kuyo sound much younger.

“But Kuyo isn't that old, right? How did he have four tails?”

Hiboshi sighed.

“That's how we knew he would be our Prince. He was born with four tails. Not many of us start out that powerful. He has the potential to outclass our elders in less than two centuries.”

Kurumu nodded, not really caring about Kuyo despite bringing him up. She glanced at the caddy.

“I suppose you want to take your shower now.”

Hiboshi shrugged, gesturing at the other girl.

“So you're in the choir. I took music as my free elective so you must be in the other group.”

“Yea. I have it seventh period.”

“Any reasons why you would join the choir? I can't imagine singing to be that much fun.”

Kurumu smirked.

“You just said you took it as your free elective.”

“It's the easiest free elective to take.”

“Well… I think singing is a lot of fun.”

“I suppose karaoke is a thing. Ami has been trying to con me into going for weeks.”

Kurumu grabbed a few CDs from the shelf, glancing over the artists. She was unfamiliar with the names but she imagined Dakuhime might know about them.

“You seem to have a lot of music. BoA. Hamasaki Ayumi. Hikaru Utada.”

Hiboshi huffed.

“So what about it? I'm sure every girl owns most of those CDs.”

“I'm surprised a proud Kitsune would have so much human paraphernalia.”

“Who's your favorite singer, Ms. Hiboshi? I personally adore Ms. Amuro and have all nine of her albums.”

“I guess she's okay. I've never thought about a favorite singer, but I love Supersonic Girl by Mizuki Nana. I have two of her other albums but her first one is the best.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with her.”

Hiboshi waved dismissively at the girl.

“Don't fret over it. I'll let you borrow Dream Skipper if you want.”

“You could come to my room. I have a stereo with a CD player.”

Hiboshi glanced the girl over.

“Sure, let's go right now.”

Hiboshi walked over to the shelf, fetching a couple CDs from her collection. She set the shower caddy aside and pushed Kurumu towards the door.

“What about your shower?”

“I'll do that later. We should go now before Ami or Kumiko wakes up.”

Kurumu frowned as she allowed herself to be guided out of the room. Hiboshi turned her deadbolt and gestured for them to head to Dakuhime's room.

“Avoiding your friends?”

“I don't have anything to wear. The school store doesn't have many spare uniforms, and certainly nothing in my size.”

Kurumu nodded, recalling the infirmary incident that Yukari had caused and how Tora and Nerume had went to her dorm room to get something for her to wear so she could go home. She smiled, realizing they could have easily gone to her gym locker and sent her home in gym clothes. That's what Hiboshi had changed into after being shooed away upon the conclusion of the math test.

“They found gym clothes in your size pretty quick.”

“They had some spare extra smalls in the gym office because of girls like Ms. Dakuhime. Uniforms are a different matter. I ordered some through the school store during lunch, but I probably won't get them until around midterms.”

“Oh, you want to borrow a uniform? I can do that.”

Dakuhime unlocked her door and went inside, holding it open for them. Kurumu walked in first, noting the room was quite barren. The girl had a black wooden stool tucked beneath a tiny writing desk. Her stereo system was sitting on the floor next to the desk with one speaker snaked up on the desk surface next to a family portrait. The other was stretched across the room by the closet. Beneath the small window was a keyboard that was plugged into the wall. A small alarm clock was plugged in the other open outlet and was pushed against the wall, declaring it was twenty two after six.

Hiboshi walked by Kurumu to join Dakuhime whom was opening her closet. Dakuhime smiled, reaching in and pulling a uniform out of the closet.

“Thank you. Do you have spare lingerie too? I have nothing that fits.”

“Oh. Yea… will these work?”

Dakuhime pulled a floral lacy pink bra out of a small drawer. Hiboshi quickly dropped the towel to try on the bra. Dakuhime slipped behind Hiboshi to help fasten the clips in the back. Hiboshi cupped the slight swell of her bosom, turning about.

“You want to go shopping tonight? I need to buy a whole lot of things and it would be more fun with you along.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yea. It's not like I can do this with my other friends.”

Dakuhime smiled.

“I guess you would be embarrassed.”

“See if you can skip out of choir, or leave early. I'll convince Coach Yaisoku to take us shopping.”

Kurumu paused.

“You're staying on the tennis team?”

“Of course.”

“Won't that be a problem?”

“For now, yes. In two years, I should be fine.”

“Are you serious?”

“I spent the past three years learning how to play this game. It was this or softball, and softball is god awful boring. You can't beat the fast pace of tennis. It's thrilling. There's no way I'm quitting now. That photo you were showing her was of me winning the junior high regional. I'm the best female tennis player in Niigata. And in two years, I'll show that I still have that. Just you watch.”

“It's amazing that you're so passionate about it. I only joined the choir because I felt like there's nothing else I can really do. But I do like singing.”

“My father said that there's no halfway about things. If you put everything into it, you will get the most out of it. There's no reason to hold back when it's something you want.”

Hiboshi handed Dakuhime one of her CDs.

“Go ahead and put this in. I've never heard any of my CDs through a stereo. I'm curious if it sounds better than my CD player.”

Dakuhime giggled, taking it over to the stereo. She bent down and unplugged the keyboard. She plugged the stereo in and pushed the tray button. Setting the CD in, she closed it up.

“It's about the same, so I hope you won't be too disappointed.”

Kurumu smiled as the music started playing.

“It looks like you two will get along.”

Hiboshi sighed, regarding Kurumu.

“I should apologize.”

“No, it's okay. I know you were upset.”

“Frustrated. I'm frustrated.”

“Yea… I've spent enough time with Yukari to know how difficult high school can be for someone about her age and size.”

“I need to talk with her.”

Hiboshi wagged her tails as she pondered.

“Ms. Sendou. There's no reason for me having three. I wasn't that strong of a two tail. It's hard to believe that I'm now in the same category as Ms. Yoshino.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Good luck with that. Yukari is not the easiest person to talk to.”

“Send her my way after school. We can make it a threesome. Are you fine with that Ms. Dakuhime?”

“I… I suppose. I've never met Ms. Sendou. I hear she's scary.”

“She's an absolute terror. But we will have Coach Yaisoku with us, so we will be fine.”

“Yukari isn't that bad.”

Hiboshi stared at her, making her a bit uncomfortable.

“She did save your life.”

“Perhaps. She also hospitalized Keito, so I'm hesitant to accept her motives as purely good.”

Kurumu had nothing to say to that. She smiled, thinking it best to change subjects.

“So what's the name of this song?”

* * *

Kurumu skimmed through her notes, confirming she had everything to write the soccer article. She hoped Ginei could handle the coach for her, worried he would be upset after yesterday. She knew she would be cutting things close with a shoot on Saturday afternoon, but hopefully Ginei would be free. She would let Kamitsuku know about the shoot after class today so she could avoid Ginei’s inevitable protests about taking pictures of a bunch of buff soccer guys.

As all four remaining interviews were with boys from Tokamachi, Kurumu had sat next to Nerume and they had called out for those specific boys to sit by them. Nerume had started with the younger, taller Nishimura brother from class four. Both brothers had charcoal black hair and soft caramel eyes. The younger one, Kazuma, had shoulder length hair and sapphire studs in his ears. The older one, Ryuusei, kept his short locks shaven with the bangs managed in a simple side part. Ryuusei was the shortest guy on the team, roughly Moka’s height.

Kurumu had quickly finished the interview Tora had started yesterday with Shimobe Kazu. The last senior and starter had shaggy black hair and blue eyes. He had that similar toothy smile she had seen on Ota from the track team, which he had admitted was due to a lack of practice. It was a common mistake of inugami, much like a snaggletooth was a good indication of an okami.

Curious if the boys used this to help find girls of their kind, Shimobe had chuckled assuring her that scent was a much bigger tip off than these minor visual cues. The senior had tried to impress her with claims about how easy it was to identify Coach Kibashiro and the health instructor, Ms. Uchikawa, as okami women. Fumusuna had shot his friend down, letting Kurumu know that both women were from their village in Tokamachi.

Her other interview had been with the tallest boy from Tokamachi, Nakamori Takaya. Nakamori had his long, tawny hair drawn back in a topknot. The boy was from class twelve which prompted her to talk a little about the choir girls in his class, whom he had no interest in. Realizing her efforts for small talk were lost upon this serious boy, she simply stuck to her generic questions to plow through his interview as quickly as possible.

She picked at her food, guessing they only had ten or so minutes left before the first bell would sound the end of the lunch hour. Nerume was barely touching hers, laughing at the older Nishimura’s remarks about the many uses of the versatile jock strap.

“Swap with me.”

Kurumu glanced up, noting Burumoto was standing by Nakamori. The big guy gestured to a vacant spot at the other table.

“Why?”

“Because I want to sit by my girl. Now move it.”

Nakamori huffed, but picked up his tray of food and stepped free of the bench that was mounted to the sides of these tables. Burumoto grinned, promptly taking his seat next to her, causing the seat to sag. She wondered if he had finished his lunch, knowing how heavy he usually stacked his tray.

She smirked at him.

“So I’m your girl now?”

“Technically you are. I’m the reason you are gracing us with your presence.”

She glanced over, noting Tamaishi was laughing at Nakamori’s arrival.

“Oh, I could have been here because I shared a class with Tamaishi.”

Burumoto laughed.

“That blockhead would have been too shy to ask you to do this. We all know that.”

Kurumu smiled, turning as she placed a hand on Nerume’s shoulder. The girl glanced over.

“Hey, are you done?”

Nerume giggled, picking up her sheet which had a ridiculous amount of notes. While it had all the relevant information, there was so much extra that it would take twice the space to cover a boy interviewed by Nerume. Kurumu felt bad knowing she would trim out most of this fluff.

“How are you doing, Mr. Burumoto?”

“Come on, short stuff. Just call me Ushio.”

“Maybe. Do you know my name?”

“Sure.”

Nerume grinned.

“What is it?”

Burumoto face tightened for a moment. He pointed at her, shaking his finger.

“Nemuri?”

Kurumu laughed.

“I know she sleeps in class but that’s not her name.”

“Well, well, Mr. Burumoto. It seems we know why you will be in Ms. Kagome’s special class today.”

Burumoto smirked.

“It’s optional, but I will go. What’s your excuse for bombing the quiz?”

Nerume shrugged.

“I’m dumb?”

Kurumu chuckled, recalling how distraught Ms. Kagome had been during third period. Seven boys and three girls had failed the quiz. Four of those boys had straight up zeroed the test, Tsukune and Kamitsuku among them. It was obvious that these boys desired some special time with the sensual teacher.

“So what’s these sessions like, Kurumu? You’ve been at them for some time.”

Nerume snickered.

“And she still failed.”

Kurumu tapped Nerume’s nose.

“Barely. I barely failed.”

She had felt so confident about that quiz. One more correct answer and she would have passed. It was sad that all her lessons had not yielded a better score. The third girl was Hanetsume, whom scored the same as Kurumu. The girl had no intention of skipping track practice for a couple extra points.

“I’ll keep you company, Kurumu. I don’t have anything better to do.”

“Thanks... … I doubt she will do what she does with me. Is mass hypnosis possible?”

Burumoto chuckled.

“That depends on what she’s wearing.”

“You boys are so bad. That includes your boyfriend.”

Burumoto snorted as Kurumu frowned.

“I think Aono’s paper got swapped with Hedoyami’s. Big boy was shocked and disappointed that he passed that quiz. I’m telling you, those two idiots forgot to put their names on their papers and Ms. Kagome got them switched up.”

Kurumu grinned, having concluded something similar. There was no way anyone could score a zero on that quiz, and she could not fathom why Tsukune would deliberately tank that test. She was glad Ms. Kagome had switched up those papers.

“I’d take time with my boyfriend over time with Hedoyami any day.”

Burumoto chuckled. He gestured at Nerume.

“So has she told the table that she’s a miniature pony?”

Most of the brothers perked up as Nerume shied away, lifting a hand to cover her mouth and nose. The wolf boys chuckled, exchanging glances. Fumusuna with the jagged, ashen gray hair that was buzzed short on the sides and back gestured at Nerume.

“She does have a familiar scent, but you can’t expect these dumb horses to pick that up.”

The senior silver haired Fuyukake brother scowled.

“Sniffing is not our strong suit. Unlike you dogs, we don’t have to sniff a girl to be interested.”

The two okami seniors chuckled while Nerume lowered her hand. She managed a slight smile.

“Mr. Burumoto was telling me that Kazuma here has a girlfriend.”

The older Nishimura nodded.

“Yes, Minobi. She’s a sweet girl. Not all of us are so lucky to have a girlfriend at Yokai.”

Kazuma grinned, slugging his brother.

“You’re just jealous that your girlfriend still has another year before she comes here.”

“Oh, so you have a girlfriend too.”

“Yea. I sometimes regret it, but the truth is Niigata doesn’t have many Kirin communities. As far as we know, our village in the Tokamachi district is the only one. So… it’s not like we have dating alternatives by coming to Yokai.”

Nerume smiled.

“But it’s still nice to have a girlfriend.”

“Of course. My only regret is that Tadako waited till my graduation to ask me out. It’s been pretty rough to only have a girlfriend when I go back home for breaks.”

The younger Hatatachi with the faux hawk cut grinned.

“That’s the problem with chasing after girls not your age.”

“Don’t act like you know anything about it.”

“I’m a victim of circumstance. It’s not my fault we have one girl for every two boys in our village.”

The older Hatatachi huffed, nodding his head.

“And they are so stingy. We only have six girls from our community here. Half of them are stubbornly waiting for some perfect stranger to come in and ride them off into the sunset.”

“I wouldn’t say Yuniko is stubborn. She’s shy and self-conscious about her height. Though she’s not nearly as short as Ms. Genzouyaki.”

Kurumu frowned, knowing she had seen that name.

“Yuniko? From track?”

The older Fuyukake nodded.

“Yes, Miyake Yuniko. Four of the six girls are in track while the other two are in Fumusuna’s ski club.”

The okami boy with the ashen hair shook his head.

“My twin sister doesn’t run that club.”

“She may as well. It’s not like Mr. Maruyama does anything but tag along to the outings she plans.”

“I wasn’t aware of any of the track girls having boyfriends.”

The older Hatatachi shrugged.

“Ikegami is dating Hashibata from the basketball team. Kishi and Hayagawa are unattached. Tategami’s friend, Kagomure, is dating Shizumaru, whom also is from the basketball team.”

Nerume frowned.

“So… how many Kirin boys are from your village?”

Burumoto chuckled.

“Weighing your options?”

“Not just for me. I came to Yokai with two Kirin friends.”

The older Fuyukake perked up.

“Girls?”

“Mhm. Chisa was mentioned in the track article. She’s really shy because she’s so tall. Tama is a little shorter. About his height.”

Nerume pointed to Shimobe which caused a collective sigh among the Kirin boys. The younger Hatatachi managed a smile.

“Well… we know some guys from the baseball and basketball teams from our village. A couple of them don’t have girlfriends back at home.”

Kurumu grinned at the younger Hatatachi.

“Giving up already?”

“Tall girls don’t normally go for shorter guys. It’s a pattern we’ve noticed.”

“Tell you what. Nerume, do you think you could get those two to come to the team photo shoot we will be doing at two on Saturday?”

“Chisa will have practice. I doubt she would come. Don’t know about Tama.”

“How would she not come? Don’t they practice on the same field?”

Burumoto chuckled.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about the track team having practice. We skipped ours for their picture day. I’m sure Coach Kibashiro will cancel.”

Kurumu frowned, supposing that made sense. She had not seen the boys during the track team’s shoot.

“I know I could come. It’s not like I have club things to do.”

“What does your club do?”

“Our two seniors haven’t decided on anything and our junior sits in a corner by herself, reading horoscopes. I spend most of my time chatting nonsense with Ms. Andou from class eight. She went to the same junior high as Mr. Tamaishi.”

A slight tap on her shoulder caught her attention. Kurumu glanced over at the girl hovering behind her, noticing it was Irewata. Their classmate manage a smile.

“Hey, Ms. Kurono. I was wondering if you saw Netsuki. I checked with Ami and Kumiko, but she’s not with any of her friends.”

Kurumu shook her head.

“She might be with Dakuhime.”

“Dakuhime?”

“Yea. We ate breakfast together this morning. Me, Dakuhime, Dakuhime’s friend Yokumoto.”

“Is that a girl?”

Kurumu laughed.

“Yes. They’re from the choir. I think all the freshmen choir girls eat together for lunch but I don’t recall where they slip off to. You could check with Natsudera and Chousei. They might know.”

The first bell sounded. Irewata smiled, nodding.

“I guess I can ask her directly during lab. I’ll see you in class.”

Irewata and Hiboshi were lab partners with Ikazuchi. The bouncy girl turned about and hurried away from the table, clearly nervous with the gazes the okami boys favored upon her. Burumoto extracted himself from the bench, gesturing out to the neighboring hallway.

“Shall I escort you lovely ladies back to class?”

Kurumu shrugged, getting up from the table as Nerume did the same. She regarded Nerume’s meal.

“You didn’t eat.”

Nerume shrugged.

“I’m on a flirt diet.”

As Kurumu chuckled, Tamaishi walked up and clapped a heavy hand on Burumoto’s shoulder.

“Everything work out?”

“I was almost to third base before you threw me out.”

Tamaishi guffawed, shaking his massive head.

“Ms. Kurumu. I wondered if you did something to our coach.”

“Oh, yeah. Coach was miffed at you yesterday. Said you used your powers to charm him.”

Kurumu grimaced, supposing her hopes of not being called out on this were too high.

“I did.”

Both boys frowned.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you dating Mr. Tsukune?”

Kurumu sighed.

“I wanted to confirm something Shirayuki told me. And you were right, Ushio. Coach wasn’t trying to force himself on her. I just don’t understand why she lied to me.”

Nerume touched her sleeve.

“It’s okay. She probably wanted to confide in someone, but is too scared to tell the truth.”

Aware that they could leave their trays for the staff to clean them up, Kurumu started off for the hall while holding Nerume’s hand. She smiled over at the two boys on her left.

“I do feel bad about it. I was more worried about not believing her than not believing him.”

“That’s fair. Momma always said a man is made of sterner stuff so you can be a bit harder on them. Don’t fret over hurting Coach’s feelings. He won’t hold it against you.”

“All the same, I’ll be having my senior handle his interview. I still don’t like that he flirted with Shirayuki.”

Burumoto chuckled.

“Did he admit to that?”

“Yes.”

“Coach flirts with everything that has tits and two legs.”

Tamaishi chuckled.

“True that. Almost a daily thing between him and Coach Kibashiro.”

“So… Nerume.”

Burumoto grinned upon using her name.

“Did you have an eye for any of them?”

The girl rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“I already said that I can’t date brothers. If you had mentioned that the older brother had a girlfriend back at home, I wouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know about that.”

“What about Nakamori?”

Kurumu snorted at Tamaishi’s remark.

“That one is antisocial. I guess you’ll be shopping the other clubs.”

“No point looking at the basketball team. Might be okay for Chisa and Tama, but I’d rather not be with a guy with a height pushing one eighty.”

“Now you’re sounding like Satsuki.”

“Satsuki’s being silly. You don’t put height restrictions on whom you can be friends with. But I do think it makes sense when it comes to dating. I don’t want kissing to be a huge ordeal.”

Burumoto chuckled.

“Kissing isn’t everything. There’s plenty of other things you can do in a relationship.

Kurumu smiled, knowing she would have to get used to that concept regardless of height. As they turned down the hallway, Burumoto reached over to tousle Kurumu’s hair.

“Maybe you should try finding a new obsession for the stalker girl.”

“Stalker girl?”

“Shirayuki.”

“I never said she was a stalker.”

“Coach seems to think she is. He said he shouldn’t be alone when leaving practice yesterday with Coach Kibashiro. It may have sounded like his normal flirting, but it came out a bit too serious.”

Kurumu smiled softly.

“I can imagine that would be embarrassing for her, especially if you guys were near enough to hear it.”

“It was strange. He was looking off to the woods and suddenly uttered that to her. Like it was a fact. After he smoothed things over with Coach Kibashiro, he told us that Shirayuki was probably going to attack him again, so he had Tsutsushi walk him to his car. It was unsettling.”

Nerume laughed.

“I can’t believe a whole team of boys are worried about one girl.”

“We’re not. But Coach doesn’t want us getting involved and said he would have any of us suspended if we interacted with her. That’s why I’m thinking it might be a good idea for you to handle it, Kurumu.”

“Yea, Ms. Kurumu. You know her best. You know lots of people.”

“I don’t know a lot of people. But I guess I can talk to her. Maybe redirect her to some other guy.”

“We’d owe you big. You could ask me for anything.”

Kurumu smirked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She paused before heading up.

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

She grinned.

“Then how about you cease and desist your requests of seeing me in a cheerleader outfit.”

Burumoto frowned.

“Anything but that.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out as she tugged the giggling Nerume up the stairs with her.

* * *

The study session had been quite different from what Kurumu had expected. At the start of the lesson, the teacher had locked the doors and stripped off her business jacket and blouse, revealing a black leather bodice beneath that clung to her curves like it was painted on. She had also slipped out of her pencil skirt, revealing a leather bottom that could not rightfully be called a skirt. This thing was two flaps of cloth that were tied together at the sides from her waist down her hips. It barely covered her ass.

While the other boys started to drool in anticipation, Tsukune had openly protested Ms. Kagome's attire on the basis that it would be too distracting. The teacher had laughed off his concerns, assuring him that nobody would have difficulty paying attention to her. She had snapped her riding crop to accentuate her point. It had not taken long before Kamitsuku voiced his regrets of sitting in the front row.

Ms. Kagome had been very sweet to Nerume and Kurumu, helping them thoroughly when called to the board. She would hug and caress them while working through every little step. It embarrassed the hell out of Nerume while Kurumu got a healthy dose of lust from the lecherous boys. It was so delicious that she kind of hoped they could do this more often. She especially liked Tsukune's reaction whom loved watching her being handled so affectionately by another woman. It resonated with the dream she had this morning, so her body was all worked up in anticipation.

The boys had not been treated as gently. Whenever Ms. Kagome called one to the board, she would hover nearby, snapping her riding crop at every mistake. Poor Kamitsuku had been the first called up, so he had purposely made an error under the obvious hope he would receive some affection. The crop had corrected him, which seized all of the boys' attention. After that, nobody intentionally made an error.

It quickly became apparent that Ikazuchi, Yougan and Kamitsuku did not need the lesson. The teacher offered the boys a retake, sending them to the back of the class so she could handle the students that genuinely needed her help.

Sadly her stern approach with the boys did not change. But Burumoto, Tamaishi and Yamazaru were all big and thick guys. Burumoto had grumbled about the harsh treatment but had assured her it was more a nuisance than an actual harm.

Oddly Ms. Kagome had never called Tsukune up to the board to verify if he had intentionally bombed the test or not. He had spoken up about taking the retest, but had shied away when Ms. Kagome asked if he really wanted to come up to the board with teacher, snapping her crop at the end of her inquiry. Telling him to keep quiet, Ms. Kagome had continued to ignore his presence for the rest of the lesson.

Kamitsuku walked towards the front of the class with his test paper in his hands while Ms. Kagome held Nerume's hand, guiding the chalk in the small girl's fingers through the correct steps. The teacher's other hand rested on Nerume's left shoulder, dangerously close. Kamitsuku nervously cleared his throat as he held out the sheet.

“I'm finished.”

The teacher released the small girl, taking up the paper as she faced the blushing boy. She glanced over his answers, adjusting her glasses.

“Very good, Mr. Yamabato. I trust you won't allow this to happen again.”

“Yes, Teacher. I won't.”

Ms. Kagome regarded the watch on her wrist, turning her attention on the class.

“I believe that will be all for today. I will keep hosting these sessions for anyone that wants me to.”

Yamazaru groaned but quickly covered his mouth when Ms. Kagome glared at him.

“Mr. Aono. I would like you to stay longer with Ms. Kurono. I have some things I would like to discuss.”

Already slipped out of her seat, Kurumu frowned. She noted the time was half past six.

“Isn't it late, Teacher?”

“Don't worry, my sweet. This won't take long. I will go make the tea.”

Kurumu sighed. She had hoped to avoid the hypnosis stuff, but at least Tsukune would be watching her. She wandered over to the front of the class as Ms. Kagome slipped out of the room. The teacher usually made the tea in the infirmary, since the nurse had a small coffee maker in her office.

Regarding Kamitsuku's shoulder to avoid the nuisance of her charm, she absently reached out for Nerume. The smaller girl grabbed her by the sleeve, stepping into her side as she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. This intrigued the boys despite the rough punishment they had endured.

“I meant to tell you earlier about taking pictures for the soccer team. I was hoping you could rally your club to help out.”

“Oh, right.”

Kamitsuku grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I'll tell Ms. Sangi about it at lunch tomorrow.”

“Oh? You eat lunch with your club president?”

“Yea, we usually head up to the roof and eat together as a club. At least those of us that bother attending the club meetings.”

Kurumu smiled, recalling her mild musings weeks ago about what he did with his lunch hour. She had completely forgotten about it.

“Have you met your seniors?”

“Some of them. Uchiyama brings Ms. Chouda and I’ve met Mr. Hatsutori.”

Tsukune stepped up next to her, placing his left hand on her shoulder. He had notable bite marks at the base of his neck on the left side, having confessed to a brief encounter with Moka during lunch while walking over to the vacant room. He favored Kamitsuku with a smile.

“Thanks for always helping out our club.”

“No problem. It's fun being around your girlfriend.”

Kurumu smiled, leaning her head to rub her cheek against the back of Tsukune's hand. She pouted when he quickly withdrew his hand, much to Kamitsuku's amusement.

“So when did you become friends with Ms. Genzouyaki?”

“Hmm?”

“I thought you were only friends with the girls in your club.”

Kurumu frowned, wondering if he was dense or if it had not been that apparent.

“It's been a couple weeks. Maybe even a month.”

Nerume giggled.

“You pulled me aside for boyfriend advice in the middle of the third week.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

Burumoto chuckled as he walked up to join them, adjusting the schoolbag on his shoulder. He clapped Tsukune on the back with enough force to stagger him into Kurumu.

“I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm heading home for a cold shower.”

Kurumu smirked as she pulled Nerume closer.

“Did you enjoy the special lesson?”

“I enjoyed the scenery.”

“Did you now? Will you be coming back tomorrow?”

Burumoto snorted as Tamaishi stepped up beside him.

“Hell no. Coach would be angry if I skip too many practices.”

“We shall study harder in our free time.”

“You had the lowest score in the class, Tamaishi.”

“Study a lot harder.”

Kurumu grinned, watching as Yamazaru slipped out the back door of the class. If Hanetsume and Tobuyoku had come, this would have felt like a usual Saturday remedial lesson.

“So does she have a boyfriend?”

Kurumu chucked, shaking her head at Kamitsuku's persistence.

“She's single.”

“And starving. Are any of you guys going to the dining hall first? I wouldn't mind the company.”

Kamitsuku grinned.

“Sure, I'll walk with you.”

Burumoto held a hand up with a serious expression.

“Hold up. We can all walk with her. But before that, I wanted to ask a question. Does anybody else find it strange that it was just our class?”

“Meaning?”

“Ms. Kagome has three other classes she teaches. There's no way I scored worse than that idiot, Nishimura. We had to pull an all nighter for him to get his butt out of remedial lessons.”

Kurumu shrugged.

“You scored worse than I did.”

Burumoto frowned, wagging a thick finger at her.

“Not the point. I'm saying we should have seen students from class one, two and four. I don't get why it was just our class.”

That was a good observation. The thoughts that those airhead fish girl twins could pass that quiz, or that silly Sakamori could score better than her had not crossed her mind.

“I can ask Ms. Kagome about that. I'm still confused why she didn't let me retake the quiz. That wasn't my paper that she handed back in class.”

Kurumu smiled, recalling Burumoto’s guess at what happened. She caressed his upper arm.

“Don't worry, Tsukune. You did us all a favor.”

Burumoto chuckled, nodding in the direction of the door.

“Well then we will be leaving the two of you alone. Don't do anything I would brag about.”

Kurumu smirked as the two boys started for the door. Nerume tugged Kurumu down by the sleeve, lifting up on her toes as she breathed against Kurumu's ear.

“Can we go to the bathroom? I'm about to wet myself.”

Kurumu laughed, nodding.

“Can you wait here with Tsukune, Kamitsuku? We need a potty break.”

“Sure thing.”

Burumoto paused at the door, frowning as she approached him.

“Sorry, guys. This will take just a second.”

She stepped out into the hall, holding Nerume's hand. There was a bathroom across the hall between the infirmary and the computer classroom. They walked across the connecting balcony, which was a straight shot to the bathrooms.

None of these hallway bathrooms had a door. There was a small space that you walked around before you were greeted by the long row of stalls and sinks. As this was a mirror image to the hallway in which their homeroom was, the stalls were on her left with the sinks on the right. Nerume promptly took the first stall while Kurumu slipped into the next.

Kurumu did not have a pressing need to go, but managed. She giggled at the heavy deluge that sounded from the adjacent stall, shaking her head. She had no idea where that girl got all her water from. It was not like she drank heavily between classes and she did not carry around a water bottle.

“Are you alright over there?”

“Yea. I should have went during gym. I've been holding this since sixth period.”

“You could have asked Ms. Kagome.”

“I suppose. She was acting strange.”

“Yea. A lot more touchy than usual.”

Nerume sighed.

“Dammit, I'm horny.”

Kurumu laughed.

“It's not funny. I'm all riled up because Ms. Kagome was pushing on me so much.”

“I hope you don't get that way because of me.”

“No. You're warm and comfortable. What Teacher was doing was oppressive.”

“I'm sure the boys look at you differently.”

Kurumu smiled as she padded herself dry. Flushing her toilet, she pulled her panties back up and lingered at the stall door. She waited, listening. She could hear the soft breathing.

“Nerume?”

“Hmm?”

Kurumu tugged open the door, frowning. She slowly walked across to the sinks.

“Are you almost done?”

“Mhm.”

Kurumu turned on the faucet to rinse her hands. She thought about how Burumoto had suggested for her to find Shirayuki a new obsession, but she had not seen the girl after lunch. There had been so much leftover pie from home economics, with no help from Shirayuki or Sakamori to diminish the supply. She had set her wares down at the start of eighth period, inviting all the boys to help themselves. Naturally this had caused quite a bit of snickering about eating her pie. Oblivious, Nerume had to explain that innuendo while walking to their lessons.

The toilet finally flushed. In moments, Nerume slipped out of the stall, her cheeks rosy as she walked over to the sinks. Her hands had a notable, sexy aroma when she stepped close to the adjacent sink.

“Nerume.”

The girl grinned as she washed her hands, taking extra care to lather up her fingers.

“I feel a lot better.”

“I imagine so.”

“I know you said you haven't had sex, but do you let Tsukune play with you?”

“Play?”

“You know. Like have you given him a handjob?”

The girl make a jerking motion with her wrist. Kurumu blushed at the thought.

“I don't know how to do that stuff. I'd probably hurt him.”

“You could try licking him. I doubt anyone could mess that up.”

“Your odd version of kissing suggests otherwise.”

“No guy would complain if I was doing that to his… you know.”

Kurumu smiled, supposing no guy in their right mind would. She sighed.

“I don't know if we should. Tsukune and I have kind of taken a step back because we don't want to rush things. If we start doing stuff like that… I'd lose my mind.”

“Have you bought condoms?”

“What?”

“Condoms. For protected sex.”

Kurumu blushed, well aware what condoms were and what they were for.

“No!”

“You should. I know when my sister got them, they started having sex all the time.”

“Are you trying to make things difficult for me?”

Nerume frowned, touching Kurumu's sleeves as she leaned into her.

“No… I think it will help. He's probably scared about having a baby. If you remove that worry, you two can keep progressing like a normal couple. It’s been almost two months.”

Kurumu smirked, tapping the girl's forehead and nose.

“Your sister got pregnant. A lot of good those condoms did her.”

“My sister got married.”

Kurumu smiled, giving the girl a brief hug.

“Fine. I'll ask Tsukune to buy some.”

She was mildly curious how he would react if she asked him to buy some. She wondered if he would actually buy them.

“We could go buy some after your soccer shoot this weekend.”

“I'd rather him buy them.”

“I've never bought condoms before. Do they come in different sizes?”

“I… maybe. That's why it's better if we let him buy them. I have no idea what size we'd need.”

“Big. Horse.”

Kurumu blushed.

“Don't you start with those dirty thoughts.”

“It's probably better oversized than under. It's not like you can try one on first.”

Now the idea of shopping condoms with Tsukune sounded like it could be fun. She grabbed the girl by the shoulders and shook her playfully.

“You silly devil. I'll ask him to buy some and leave it at that. Sheesh!”

Nerume grinned while tugging on the sides of Kurumu's sweater.

“It could be like Cinderella's glass slipper. If it fits, you marry him.”

“You're so bad.”

Nerume stepped in to give her a hug. The girl's offside ponytail tickled Kurumu's throat as the Nerume nuzzled her cheek against the top of the swell of her bosom.

“It will all work out, Kurumu. He could be scared about hurting your feelings if he bought them without your approval.”

Kurumu sighed, returning the embrace. Tsukune needed to do something, even if it was something stupid like buying a package of condoms at a convenience store counter. At least then she would know he was serious about taking things further.

Kurumu took a deep breath, patting the girl's head. Nerume's grip relaxed as the girl stepped back, smiling up at her. Taking her hand, Kurumu led the girl back out into the hall.

The three boys were leaning up against the wall across the hall near the closed classroom door. Kamitsuku straightened up, smiling as they walked over.

“You two took your time.”

“Sorry. We got to talking.”

“Yea… I was going to check on you but heard her say condoms so I quickly ran back here.”

Nerume covered her mouth with her free hand, blushing hotly as Kurumu's eyes widened.

“It's not what you think!”

The two big guys chuckled. With a grin, Burumoto gestured at them.

“It's no big deal. I've always been curious what you girls talk about behind our backs.”

“You have the worst timing ever, Kamitsuku. That was a random thought that popped in her head. We don't normally talk about that.”

“I keep one in my wallet. Momma always said I should be prepared for anything.”

Kurumu regarded the boy incredulously. How did an emergency condom in the wallet of a fifteen year old boy make sense to his parents? In what favorable situation would that thing ever see use?

“Shouldn’t you get a girlfriend first, condom next?”

“Girlfriends aren’t as easy to find.”

Tamaishi chuckled, clapping Burumoto’s shoulder. The big guy gestured down the hall.

“We should go. I'm hungry.”

The two boys started off as Kamitsuku offered a hand to Nerume.

“I can walk with you.”

Nerume let go of Kurumu. She ignored him, sliding open the door and ducking into the classroom.

“Ouch.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“She needs to get her schoolbag. So what's Tsukune doing?”

Kamitsuku nodded at the open door.

“Ms. Kagome is chatting with him over some tea. She shooed the rest of us out, telling us to go home.”

Kurumu frowned, aware of what Ms. Kagome did to the tea.

“What is that woman up to?”

“Worried that she might be making a move on Tsukune?”

She sighed.

“There's too much stuff going on. Why can't I have a normal, boring school life with my boyfriend?”

Kamitsuku chuckled.

“I heard from Mr. Burumoto that Ms. Nazohashi might step down from the class rep position.”

She sighed again, knowing Tora had ate lunch with the PSC to discuss that.

“Yea…”

“I'm cool with whatever. I'll even take your nominations, if you feel I'm worthy.”

Kurumu laughed. The thought of him taking the role had not crossed her mind. It felt as silly as suggesting Tsukune do it, though Kamitsuku did sit up in the front.

“Not going to volunteer?”

“Of course not.”

She smiled as Nerume returned, both hands holding the strap of her schoolbag slung over her head across her torso. The girl promptly stepped up to her and freed an arm to give her a half hug.

“I'll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Kurumu.”

“Yea… you two be safe.”

She waved as the pair departed, noting the other two boys had stopped at the end of the hall and were waiting. She lifted her arm, waving till she got them to respond. Smiling, she slipped into the classroom.

Ms. Kagome had turned about a desk to face the one Tsukune was seated in. A kettle of tea rested on a nearby desk as the teacher sipped from a small black cup. She leaned back in her seat, glancing over at Kurumu. She smiled.

“Could you lock the doors, Ms. Kurono? I would prefer no interruptions.”

Tsukune was sipping tea from an identical cup cradled in his hands. He was staring at Ms. Kagome chest, unblinking.

“Ms. Kagome?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Um… is it safe for us to drink the tea? I was thinking you would have Tsukune escort me home.”

The teacher smiled, setting her cup aside.

“The tea is for Mr. Aono today. You will be seeing him home safely.”

“Oh.”

“Now lock the doors.”

Kurumu smiled, a little relieved that she would be spared tonight. She closed the door behind her, securing the latch. She walked across the room to the other closed door. Locking it, she moved over to join her teacher.

“I was letting Mr. Aono know how much of a naughty boy he has been.”

Kurumu frowned, stopping shy of Tsukune. Ms. Kagome gestured to the vacant desk with the teapot. Obediently she sat down.

“I don't understand.”

“I caught him kissing Ms. Akashiya during the lunch hour. Such poor behavior for your boyfriend.”

Kurumu managed a smile.

“I'm sure you're mistaken. Moka is a vampire. Those bite marks on his neck are from her drinking his blood.”

Not that vampires needed to drink blood. Still, being nipped by Moka was not the same as kissing.

“Maybe so, but he seemed to enjoy the attention.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Of course he did. She's a pretty girl. Gorgeous. Any guy would love to have her attention.”

The woman set her tea cup down and stood up. She walked over to Kurumu, brushing her fingers through the short locks about Kurumu's ear.

“You're far prettier than her.”

Kurumu withdrew from the touch, shrugging.

“So? That doesn't make Moka any less attractive.”

The teacher reached down, grabbing her by the forearms. The woman tugged on her, encouraging her to stand back up. Reluctantly she allowed the woman to pull her upright, sighing as the teacher caressed her cheek.

“You need to stay assertive, my dear. Or your happiness will run away.”

“I appreciate your concerns, Teacher. But Moka is a good friend of ours. It can't be helped.”

Ms. Kagome clucked her tongue, pouting at her.

“Don't resign yourself. You have to fight for what you want.”

Kurumu smiled. The teacher smiled back, backing up a step. She reached down to her hip, tugging at the tied lace that held her bottom about her hips. The knot quickly came undone and the teacher started tugging the loose cords through the holes till the garment sagged.

“What are you doing?”

“True forms are such a nuisance. But human forms can bring about such heartbreak.”

With enough tugs, the garment was loose enough to fall to her ankles. The teacher stepped back, kicking the black leather and strings aside. Lifting her feet up, she tugged off her heels, setting them on the nearby desk. The woman was shaven smooth like a newborn.

Two flaps of skin folded out from the woman's belly, curved and thin. The front of her legs whitened as they came together, a layer of skin merging the two into one. Her sexual parts vanished entirely as everything below her waist became serpentine. Creases of skin formed as her legs lengthened and curved out behind her. The end of her tail lifted up beside her shoulder, resembling the bud of a flower. It split open, the five flaps textured with many little bumps. In the center was a white bloom with many petals. The petal centered in each flap ended with a long black stigma that vibrated. Small arcs of white energy darted between these stigma, causing afterimages to burn in her vision.

Ms. Kagome slithered forward, caressing the side of her cheek.

“It's hideous.”

Kurumu touched the woman's wrist, stepping back.

“I'm sorry. I'm surprised you would reveal your true form, Teacher.”

“Please, my dear. You may call me Ririko.”

“Ms. Kagome?”

The woman smiled softly. Withdrawing her hand, she glanced over her shoulder. She slithered over, clucking her tongue. Ms. Kagome took the cup out of Tsukune's hands, the boy staring off emptily at the front of the classroom. The teacher swirled the contents of the cup before drinking it down.

Ms. Kagome set the cup down next to the one that was on the other desk. She brought her tail up, letting it hover over Tsukune's head. Placing her hands on his shoulders, the bud came down to press gently upon his head. It parted to cover the entirety of his head, leaving only his face untouched. Small arcs of white energy pulsed, causing his body to twitch.

Flinching at his reaction, Kurumu darted over to his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder next to Ms. Kagome’s, pushing her other hand against the base of the flower bud.

“What are you doing to Tsukune?!”

“Be calm, my dear. I would not hurt the man you love in front of you.”

Kurumu frowned, knowing this made sense. She winced as his body twitched again.

“Are you sure he’s okay?”

“I am teaching him.”

“Teaching?”

Ms. Kagome smiled, letting her hand drift over to cover Kurumu’s. She squeezed gently.

“Our mind is nothing but a bunch of electric currents, passing through the flesh. With my power, I can send my own thoughts into him using these currents.”

“It looks painful.”

“The tea helps. Right now he feels nothing.”

“Are you sure this is safe for Tsukune? He's not that durable.”

“I am aware that he is human.”

Kurumu gasped, withdrawing her hand from Ms. Kagome’s tail.

“Don't be so surprised, my dear. You've told me a lot about your boyfriend while under my influence.”

Kurumu grimaced, feeling betrayed.

“I guess I should be thankful you didn't tell anyone.”

“I have no reason to, my dear. You're a precious student of mine and I only wish for your happiness.”

Tsukune's body twitched and he made a slight grunt with each shock. It pained her heart to see his reaction, but she could not fathom a reason to doubt Ms. Kagome's sincerity. Her eyes drifted over to the teacups.

“Ms. Kagome. Why did you drink his unfinished tea?”

The teacher caressed his cheek, smiling.

“Oh, my dear. I hope you're not concerned over the silliness of indirect kissing. My only interest in Mr. Aono is to make him a better student.”

“No… that's not the issue. Do you drink my unfinished tea?”

Ms. Kagome laughed.

“I'm not worried about the little issue with your saliva, my dear. I'm well acquainted with Ms. Sasayaki. She also expressed concern with my habits.”

Kurumu bit her lower lip. Despite the assurance, her experience with Nagare terrified her. What if Ms. Kagome started behaving the same way? What would she do then?

“Are you sure you're okay?”

Ms. Kagome smiled, her attention focused on Tsukune.

“I'm fine, my dear. I'm more worried about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It seems you are having some trouble in your relationship.”

“Well… you would know why I can't kiss him.”

“That is hard. Kissing is such an important way to connect.”

“Yea…”

Ms. Kagome held up her palm, prompting for Kurumu to take it. The woman smiled, squeezing her hand.

“You are aware that you can kiss other parts of him. His hands. His neck. His chest.”

“I know.”

“So what is the real obstacle, my dear? Is it Ms. Akashiya?”

Kurumu sighed. Was it really Moka’s fault?

“No. Moka’s a good girl. If Tsukune was more assertive about our relationship, I know Moka would be happy for us.”

“Have you ever considered having a child?”

“What?!”

“A child. Mr. Aono does not strike me as the type to abandon you if you were carrying his child.”

“Are you suggesting that I have a child with Tsukune?”

“Yes.”

“But… you protested about us having a sexual relationship just the other day!”

“As a teacher, I should discourage it. But as a woman to another woman, I think the idea has merit.”

“But I’m too young!”

“I’m aware that age would be a concern, but I know you have several teachers that would be supportive if such a thing were to happen.”

“That’s not the point!”

“The point is you want to strengthen your relationship with Mr. Aono. There is no stronger bond than the one you create when you make a new life with someone.”

The thought caused her heart to flutter. While it was true that at some point she would like to have children with Tsukune, it was wishful thinking for a distant future.

“I… even if I wanted to, I don’t know if I can. I was told my body was practically sterile.”

“Gusuriko mentioned this, but I promise that I could help you get around that. Allow me to assist you and I will do everything in my power to help you raise this child.”

“Why would you do this?”

Ms. Kagome sighed.

“I hope you don’t suspect me of something dreadful. There is no truth behind the myths about the lamia. I would never think of harming a child.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about lamias.”

“There isn’t much to know. I’ve spent a good deal of time with Gusuriko. You could say I was her first pet project before she met Mr. Nagamushi.”

“I had no idea you two knew each other.”

“More than a decade. She’s like a big sister to me. And I’m sure you know she would also help you out if you decide to have a child with Mr. Aono.”

Kurumu forced a smile, shocked that her teacher was so insistent about this. While she agreed that Ms. Sasayaki would most likely help, the woman had also been quite clear about not condoning a sexual relationship during their high school years.

“I guess.”

“I am serious, my dear. You would never have to worry about another girl challenging you for him. After all, what sort of woman would try to steal a father away from his family?”

Kurumu grimaced at the thought of her mother, aware that that was kind of the situation in which she had been born. Her father had been a married man, though it had been a childless, arranged marriage.

“That might be true, but I don’t want to force Tsukune to do something he doesn’t want to.”

Ms. Kagome laughed.

“You make it sound like Mr. Aono would refuse to have sex with you.”

“I… well… we haven’t.”

“I admire your prudence, but we are only given so many chances for happiness in our lives.”

Kurumu regarded Tsukune as his body continued to twitch with each spark of light that flashed within the bulb. He was drooling as he gazed emptily at them.

“Are you sure he’s okay?”

“He’s fine. He’ll be a perfect student before the end of the week.”

Kurumu licked her lips as she mulled things over. If Tsukune wanted to have a child with her, she would let him. There was no doubt in her mind she would give him that.

“Can we ask his parents first?”

“You are such a sweet girl, my dear. But love is a selfish thing. You can’t spend your whole life asking permission for the things you want. That will only leave you empty inside.”

Is that what her mother had believed while running off with a married man? She sighed.

“I’m greedy. I want everyone to be happy that I’m with Tsukune.”

Ms. Kagome wagged a finger at her.

“I can see what we can do about contacting his parents. No promises about the rest of the world.”

Smirking, Kurumu wondered how long that would take. If Ms. Kagome was relying on the mail system, it was going to be some time before a decision was made.

“How much longer are you going to do this to him?”

Ms. Kagome frowned.

“Oh dear. I forgot to set a timer. Do you know when we started?”

Kurumu shook her head, wondering how the teacher had overlooked something that important.

“Oh. Well if his hair starts smoking, I will stop.”

“Please stop before that happens.”

“A little brain damage hasn’t killed anyone.”

“Okay, please stop now.”

Ms. Kagome chuckled, the bud end of her tail lifting up. A final spark flashed between the dark stigmas as the bud closed. The teacher leaned back, caressing Kurumu’s right cheek.

“As you wish.”


	8. Serpent Solution

It was nice to wake up and know exactly how she got in bed last night. With Tsukune in his helpless, dazed state, Kurumu had barely made it to Kurai before they stopped serving dinner. Yukari had not been kidding about the difficulty in feeding someone while like that. Thankfully there were not too many witnesses to that awkward experience. If he had been more interactive it might have been endearing and romantic instead of downright embarrassing.

With Tsukune's keys and card, she had taken him to his room and put him to bed. She had seen the boys’ handiwork in fixing the damage Hiboshi had wrought upon the dorm last week. They had bricked and mortared up the gaps between the steel frames of the old windows. The staff must have replaced the door, since the lock would only release with a swipe of Tsukune's card in the new reader.

Kamitsuku had stopped her on the way out, curious about what Ms. Kagome had wanted with them. She had dismissed it as nothing but a special lesson for Tsukune using the same tactics Ms. Kagome normally employed with her, hence Tsukune's state. When he tried to change the subject to Nerume, Kurumu had excused herself, stating she should not squander this opportunity to work on her studies.

To her credit, she had studied when she had returned to her dorm room. She had spent almost two hours on her algebra before turning in a little after eleven. Despite the late hour, she had still woken up a few minutes before her six am alarm.

She had brought all of her shower bottles today. She heard the sound of water upon tiles as she crossed the hall into the bathroom. Some girls were chatting over as she noted all three stalls on the left side were in use. She immediately recognized the soft voice of Dakuhime, and had her suspicion on the others as the trio talked about which female singer was the best.

“Morning, Dakuhime. Is that also Hiboshi?”

Kurumu angled over to the first shower door on the right. She did not recognize the plush, grape towel that hung over the door across the aisle, though she recognized Dakuhime's beige towel at the far stall. The girls greeted her in unison, indistinct from each other, as Kurumu opened the shower door.

“I'm sorry, I'm still not used to your new voice. It's higher than it was.”

“It can't be that much different.”

“It's enough for Mrs. Tomarigi to switch you over to the mezzo sopranos.”

Kurumu smiled as she set her things down. Crossing over the small space, she turned on the water and ducked her hair into the stream.

“It's Yaisoku Ami, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Unusual for the two of you to shower this early.”

“Netsuki wanted to, since this is when Ms. Dakuhime showers.”

“It's more convenient.”

Kurumu chuckled. She squeezed a small squirt of shampoo into her palm to work it into her locks. Realizing she had been too stingy, she squirted a bit more.

“So how did the shopping trip go yesterday?”

“Ms. Hiboshi is so generous.”

“Nonsense. You said you hadn't bought a new outfit in over a year.”

“Yea but-”

“You don't come to a new school with an old wardrobe. You only get to start high school once. I'm surprised your mother did not at least buy you one outfit over the break.”

“But everything still fits from two years ago.”

“I'm sure Kurono would agree. You have new clothes for high school.”

Kurumu snorted as she rinsed the shampoo out of her locks.

“No. My mother can barely afford to send me here. I'm not going to trouble her with casual clothes.”

“Netsuki forgets that some of us don't have deep pockets.”

“You have a new outfit.”

“Sure. One blouse and a skirt. Not a whole new wardrobe, your majesty.”

Dakuhime giggled, as Kurumu picked up her conditioner. Squirting some into her palm, she set the bottle back down. As she worked the peach scented substance into her hair and scalp, she heard one of the showers turn off.

“Kurono. I thought you were going to send Ms. Sendou to me.”

“Oh. I'm sorry. I was busy during lunch and forgot to tell her. And Ms. Kagome hurried us all off to her after school lesson.”

The shower adjacent to hers also turned off.

“Thank God for small favors.”

“That's not very nice to say, Ms. Yaisoku.”

“I think it would not have been as much fun with her around. She's not a nice person.”

“All the same, I should get around to thanking her.”

“So you went with them, Yaisoku?”

“Of course. We're both in tennis and she was asking Aunt Michi for a ride. There was no way she was ditching me.”

“Meaning she tried to.”

“It's embarrassing. Ami spent half the time making fun of me.”

“I'm enjoying the fact that I'm taller than you for once in my life.”

The last shower cut off as one of the stalls opened.

“You should have brought Irewata with. She was worried about you. Did you talk during science lab?”

“It's difficult being around Haruhi.”

Yaisoku sighed from within her stall.

“You better make that work. You had me switch homerooms so you could be with her.”

“Be quiet, Ami.”

“I… sorry.”

Kurumu frowned as she worked her bodywash into a lather with her loofa. She knew Ms. Nekonome had made some arrangements to have Shirayuki and herself in class three, but that was a teacher. She doubted students could randomly change their homerooms. Another stall door opened as Kurumu started scrubbing her body.

“You can switch homerooms?”

Hiboshi sighed at Dakuhime's inquiry.

“The former head of security, Kuyo, had arranged that for me with the Headmaster. For all the trouble that man caused, he still had his uses.”

“It helps that we had the same gym and elective schedule. It was a simple matter of switching names.”

“Are you almost finished, Ami?”

“Yea.”

“We shall be going, Kurono. Please don't say anything about switching classes to be with Haruhi. People will misunderstand things.”

“I won't.”

“Thank you.”

“Before you go. I'm glad you're still with Yaisoku. It's important that you don't push everyone away because this happened.”

“See. You should be counting your blessings that I'm still your friend.”

“Shut up, Ami.”

Two girls giggled as Kurumu dropped her loofa to the floor. She had scrubbed every bit of her body so now it was only a matter of if she had left the conditioner in long enough. She honestly had no idea.

“What about the Hineri sisters?”

“What about them?”

“You were always hanging out with the younger Hineri.”

“You have that in reverse. Kumiko is a coward whom only stuck around me because I was stronger than her. I've never trusted either of them enough to tell them anything important.”

“Kumiko blabs to her sister too much. She’s also been spending most of her free time with her softball team ever since the Kuyo thing happened. You know that the Takeuchi twins are part of her team, right?”

“I didn't.”

“Yea, well… I don't think Kumiko feels a need for us anymore now that her sister is running the student police. She’s also got some pretty formidable seniors on the softball team looking out for her.”

“Sucking up was the only noteworthy trait she had.”

“You guys are so mean to your friend.”

“We’ve known her long enough to earn the right. Anyways, I hope you have a good day, Kurono.”

“You too, Hiboshi.”

The other girls added their farewells before they retreated. Kurumu decided she had let the conditioner set long enough, ducking her hair back under the water to rinse it out. Scrubbing her locks till she felt they were thoroughly rinsed, she reached over to cut off the water flow.

After drying her hair and body, she slipped out of her stall with her shower things in her arms. She darted back to her room, quickly putting her things away in the closet before dressing. It was already a couple minutes after six. She wanted to check on Tora and Moka this morning, having not done a proper club breakfast yet this week.

As she fixed her skirt about her waist, she wondered when she would have some time to go shopping this weekend. While her choir article could probably be wrapped up in less than an hour, she had no idea how much time she needed for the other.

Maybe she could convince Tsukune to go on an official date with her like Tora had suggested. Nothing too fancy since she did not have a whole lot of money left from that first shopping binge a month ago. She hoped she would have enough for the few things she wanted, doubting a shower caddy would cost more than a thousand yen. Maybe casually mention purchasing some condoms. Was there a casual way to do that without sounding like a complete whore?

She sighed as she slipped into her blouse. She would have to wear this one again tomorrow. Most likely she would have that letter with permission to pick up new uniforms this weekend. Leaving the top buttons unfastened, Kurumu pulled the sweater over her head and smoothed it about her torso. She pulled the blouse collar out to give it a proper look.

Fully dressed, Kurumu slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and fetched her keys and card. She picked up her brush, pulling it through her short locks before realizing how pointless it was. It was not like her hair was long enough to tangle. Sighing she set it back down and slipped her ribbon about her wrist. Heading out of her room, she walked down the hall. Her shoes dangled against her hip as she made her way to the small elevator lobby. Crossing over to the stairwell door, she stepped into the stairway and proceeded down to the second floor.

She wondered what Tsukune would say if she suggested him to pick up some condoms on their date. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him wanting to use them right away. Maybe she should wear the thongs with a skirt that day. It would make things easier if he wanted to.

That should be okay. Hanetsume was convinced that they would not be flying, which Tora would be all too happy to avoid. Kurumu should wear that pastel green tank top that had the open back. She could not remember the last time she had worn it. It was one of the few tops she could spread her wings out. They could do an hour or so of stretching exercises before heading to the school to finish her article. That sounded like a solid plan.

She smiled as she ended her descent, tugging open the door for the second floor. Her silly body was getting all worked up, salivating at the thought of use. It did not help that Ms. Kagome had encouraged her to get pregnant. She could envision it now. Him pulling her aside into some dark alley and realizing he got the wrong size of condoms. Unable to hold back, he takes her anyways, creaming her insides. Imaginary sex was so perfect and amazing.

As she reached Tora’s door which rested on its deadbolt, Kurumu wondered what everyone else would say if she did end up bearing Tsukune’s child. Yukari would make fun of her, but would stay her friend. She was sure of this. She could also count on Nerume. The rest she honestly could not say. Maybe things would work out if she married Tsukune, but she felt like several would be disappointed in her. Especially Moka. The vampire might never talk to her again.

Kurumu knocked on the door as she pushed it open. It was no surprise that it was vacant, as Tora took her time braiding her hair every morning. Not wanting to startle Tora again, she decided to stand near the doorway, holding it open. She leaned back against the door, peering down the hallway.

She wondered what Ms. Kagome would say to Tsukune’s parents. Hey, how are you, mind if your son knocks up one of his classmates? Okay, that was ridiculous, but what was the plan? She really should have pushed for more details as their approval was the most important one to have. She certainly could not have any back alley antics until that was smoothed over.

Kurumu smiled as Tora came out of the showers, her torso wrapped up in a sage towel with her shower caddy in her left hand. The girl returned the smile as she steadily approached, not bothering to say a word until she reached her doorway.

“Good morning, Kurumu.”

“Morning, Tora.”

Kurumu resisted the urge to trouble the girl as she passed into her room. Kurumu grinned, stepping away from the door to allow it to close. She watched as Tora opened up her closet, using the door to shield her from Kurumu’s view.

“So how is the paper coming along?”

“I believe we are almost finished.”

“What’s left?”

“We still need to get your pictures from Mr. Kamitsuku.”

“Don’t you mean Mr. Yamabato?”

“Fine. I’ll drop the honorific.”

“It’s nice to see you’re making friends.”

“Anyways, we went over the first drafts yesterday. Tsukune had been kind enough to leave me his draft after Tuesday’s meeting.”

“Did Yukari write an article?”

“She did. It was surprisingly good.”

“I want to read everyone’s articles.”

“I’m sure you’ll have your chance this weekend. By the way, your choir article looked okay. Not original, but I felt it got the job done.”

“Yea, well… I kind of followed the format of the last article.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Ginei was being picky, but had no suggestions on how to improve it. I think he feels like some of the girls should have been given a bigger spotlight.”

Kurumu smirked as Okimune came to mind.

“I suppose I could pretty up Okimune’s paragraph more.”

Tora smirked.

“Should we be so obvious?”

“Well… Coach Kotsubo mentioned her as being important to last year’s freshmen class. Hearing that from a teacher makes me think I should have been more attentive to how she was special.”

“I suppose boys will be boys even if they are teachers.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“You have to agree that she is beautiful.”

“I can tell she was important to Ginei. She has a nice body and has a pleasant personality. Ginei told me that she’s been asked out many times but she’s always turned them down.”

“Oh? Were you scoping out your competition?”

“Not really. I understand that she tells each one that she’s in love with someone else and hopes that someday he will be the one to ask her out.”

“Has she ever said whom this guy is?”

Tora smirked as she closed the closet door. She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, bringing the ends together to fasten it.

“I don’t believe so. Ginei got agitated when I suggested the possibility that this mystery guy doesn’t exist. He seems to think lying is something Ms. Okimune is incapable of.”

Kurumu noted the white armband pinned to the left sleeve of Tora’s jacket. As the girl walked over to retrieve her schoolbag, Kurumu stepped in and hugged the girl. Tora stiffened for a moment, sighing as she relaxed and returned the hug.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re not quitting the club, right?”

“No. The PSC aren’t even that active. I was going to attend their club meeting last night, but they didn’t have one.”

Kurumu smiled, relaxing her grip as she stepped back. She cocked her head as she stared into Tora’s eyes.

“That sounds odd for a club dedicated to keeping the school safe.”

“Koike says Lady Hineri is trying to restore the club to its former purpose. The student police are meant to be the enforcers of the student council’s will.”

“Wouldn’t that be an issue if the student council orders you to do bad things?”

“Unlikely to happen with Mr. Kaneshiro and Mr. Utsutei running the council. Also, we are talking about an elected position. We would be serving someone that the majority of the student body agreed to follow. That’s much different than worrying over what Kuyo thought was best for this school.”

There was a knock on the door behind them. Relinquishing her hold on Tora so that she could get her schoolbag and things, Kurumu turned and opened the door. The plum haired foreigner in the student police jacket grinned, flipping her staff back behind her neck.

“Morning, Kurumu.”

“Morning, Deshi.”

Kurumu stepped out into the hall, turning to regard Tora. Stepping slightly off balance, Kurumu stumbled into Deshi, the girl dropping her staff to catch Kurumu by the shoulders. Kurumu instinctively clutched Deshi’s schoolbag which yanked it open as it had not been fully fastened shut. She glimpsed an ornate brush among the contents of the bag. Kurumu straightened back up, grinning sheepishly as Deshi bent down to retrieve her staff.

“I’m sorry.”

“No mind.”

Tora locked up her door and regarded them.

“You two okay?”

“I just stepped on the side of my foot wrong.”

“You’re such a klutz.”

Kurumu giggled.

“Yea. Do you want to come get Moka with us?”

“Oh, are we doing that this morning?”

“Sure, why not?”

Tora glanced at the watch on her right wrist.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I will be class rep for much longer.”

Kurumu grinned as she gestured for the two to follow her.

“That’s the spirit. We don’t eat as a club as often as we should. This will be the first time this week.”

“That’s your fault. I still don’t know what you two did to anger Moka on Tuesday.”

“That was an accident. I had no idea that would happen.”

Tora sighed, shaking her head.

“Again. No idea what you did. Care to tell me something?”

“I invaded her dreams with Yukari.”

Kurumu reached the door to the stairs, holding it open for them.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or are serious. Can you really do that?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Kurumu shrugged, gesturing for them to head on up the stairs.

“That’s crazy. What did you do to upset her?”

“She was startled because we weren’t supposed to be there. It woke her up, so she was mad.”

“I guess that makes sense. So when did you start doing this?”

Kurumu let the door close as she started up the stairs alongside Tora. Deshi was walking ahead of them, hopping up the stairs on one foot. She had drawn her left foot back and was trying to not use it at all as she ascended the steps.

“That weekend before the fight with Kuyo. It’s kind of a new thing I figured out, so I was having Yukari help me learn about it.”

“You did mention a dream world but I wasn’t thinking you meant it in that way.”

“Yea. In that world I seem to have full control over everything. It’s kind of amazing.”

“I guess you really are a dream barbarian.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I suppose I am.”

It was amazing that Deshi could do that. She was hopping backwards up the steps on one foot. Kurumu shook her head, noting that they still had another flight of stairs to go.

“Hey, Tora. How would you feel if I accidentally got pregnant?”

“Did something happen?”

“No. It’s just that… if Tsukune and I do start seriously dating, I’m sure we will end up doing more. I was worried how you would feel if an accident like that happened.”

Tora reached over to take her left hand in hers.

“I would be fine. An accident is an accident.”

“You wouldn’t disown me?”

“Kurumu, I think most of the school would not be surprised if you ended up pregnant.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize everyone thought so little of me.”

“You’re a succubus with a boyfriend. It would be harder to convince people that you’re still a virgin.”

Kurumu sighed, aware this was true. The students she talked with were aware of the situation, but any casual observers would conclude this sex demon was getting it on with her boyfriend. She was not going to disappoint anyone by living up to their expectations.

“Yea, I suppose. I guess I don’t mind if you’ll still be my friend.”

“You should mind. Try to behave yourself, Kurumu. I know that’s difficult for you, but maybe you should see about visiting that hospital. They might have some birth control options for you.”

Kurumu chuckled as she patted her belly.

“I think my body has its own preventative measures, but Nerume did mention buying condoms.”

Tora sighed as they walked through the door that Deshi was holding open for them. They promptly crossed the elevator lobby to Moka’s door while Tora shook her head.

“That girl is a bad influence on you. I can see now why you’re suddenly worried about being pregnant.”

Kurumu smiled, supposing that was an acceptable conclusion. Tora would lose her mind if Kurumu mentioned Ms. Kagome had put this notion in her head. As Tora knocked on Moka’s door, Kurumu regarded the quirky student police girl.

“So how is Meirowasa doing? You becoming friends with her?”

“We eat lunch.”

“What do you do? Tora says you don’t have club meetings.”

“I spend time with Lord Koike.”

“Do you have a thing for him?”

“Ignore her. She’s fascinated with the idea that everyone is trying to get a boyfriend.”

“A lot of the girls I’ve spoken with are.”

“Not really. They want a boyfriend like I want a law degree. It’s a distant need that nobody realistically expects to happen at Yokai.”

“I here for one thing.”

“And what would that be?”

“That… is a secret.”

Tora giggled, shaking her head.

“Is that a Slayers reference?”

“Hmm?”

“If I have to explain it… nevermind.”

Kurumu shrugged at Deshi’s amused expression. It was hard to say if the foreigner was genuinely ignorant or was playing her usual mischief.

“Could you check on Kana for us? She’s in 516 but might be in the showers.”

Deshi grinned, flipping her staff back on her shoulders as she sauntered down the hall. The girl freed one hand to knock on the door.

“Have you figured out that imp’s true form yet?”

“I haven’t been trying.”

“Hmm. Do you know anything about Lamias?”

“Can’t say that I do. Why?”

“Ms. Kagome revealed she was a lamia last night. She showed me how she was educating me.”

“That’s kind of unusual for a teacher to reveal her true form.”

“Is it? I know like four or five teachers now, and we’re not even to midterms.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“Anyways, she was demonstrating on Tsukune. It had me worried.”

“Is he okay?”

“I don’t know. She said she was aware of his true form, claiming she coerced the truth out of me.”

Tora frowned.

“That’s… well I don’t know. Troublesome that she forced it out of you, but maybe reassuring? I don’t know anything about Lamias to know if they might have some agenda that Tsukune could fulfill.”

“Burumoto was worried about it only being our class with the special lessons. I feel like she’s up to something, but it makes no sense to reveal to me.”

“This feels like a question for Yukari. She might have read something about Lamias.”

The door pulled open as Moka regarded them through half lidded eyes. A sleeveless black nightgown hung from the vampire’s shoulders to pool about her feet. Kurumu had never seen this garment before. She wondered if this was a new addition picked up during her mother’s visit.

“That’s a new pajama.”

Moka shielded a yawn, nodding slightly. She moved away from the door once they had stepped in. She trudged back to her futon, bending down to smooth the sheets back over the bedding.

“What were you talking about?”

“Whether you or Hiboshi would have been second in that orgy.”

Moka groaned, shaking her head, she slowly and methodically folded up her futon.

“What were you really talking about?”

Kurumu chuckled as she walked across the room to the desk. A black notebook had been left out in front of the large bear with the fedora. A mechanical pencil had been set aside next to the book, giving the impression that the stuffed creature had used it. Grinning, she picked it up and flipped through the first few pages. The pages were filled with notes and guidelines about how to approach algebra equations. There were colorful comments in the margins, cheering Tsukune to work harder and that the author would help if he had any more questions.

“It looks like Fluffy here has developed a crush on Tsukune.”

Moka had hefted up her futon and walked it over to her open closet. She was stuffing it back in its normal place before throwing a curious glance at Kurumu. Smirking, Kurumu brandished the notebook.

“He’s written such a helpful study guide.”

Moka pouted as Tora chuckled. The sphinx lingered at the door, holding the portal open.

“She was working on that yesterday, since she was already finished with her article and had nothing better to do. Ginei thought she was writing it for you before I explained about Tsukune being whisked away by Ms. Kagome because of that quiz.”

“I do enjoy everyone having such low expectations of me.”

“He was being realistic. When I mentioned Tsukune scored a zero, Ginei had laughed it off as Tsukune wanting to spend more time with the sexy teacher. Apparently Ms. Kagome has done this special treatment before. That’s why Ginei never made much fuss about your lessons.”

“I guess that’s good to know that I’m not some isolated project.”

Kurumu smiled as Deshi stepped into view next to Tora. Their blond illustrator slipped by them, offering them a wave as she moved further into the room to not clutter up the entrance.

“Morning, Kana.”

“Morning… everyone. Why are there so many people in your room?”

Moka sighed as she pulled her nightgown over her head. She was wearing nothing beneath, which was another uncommon thing. The vampire often wore lingerie to bed when it made no sense. Moka dropped the gown next to her feet as she tried to shield herself with the closet doors while fetching up her clothes for the day.

“I don’t know. It’s much better when it’s just you.”

“Oh? Have you replaced me, Moka?”

“I don’t think she meant it that way.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. She’s a violent, mean spirited girl that forces her teddy bear to write study guides for her. Poor Fluffy. I’m sure she threatened to beat the stuffing out of you.”

Kurumu pulled the bear up from its perch, folding it up in a hug. The silly thing was as big as her torso. She nuzzled her cheek against the coarse fur of its face.

“Don't molest my bear.”

Kurumu grinned as Moka pulled a skirt over her white panties.

“I wonder what secrets he would tell us about you. Is your mommy a naughty girl? Does she squeal beneath her sheets in the night?”

While Tora blushed, Moka favored her with a genuine, confused look. Kana smirked glancing aside.

“I wonder if I should give one of my characters a furry fetish.”

“It's a school paper, Ms. Zukkutani. Please keep those ideas to yourself.”

“Yea, you're right. Maybe he can treat him like an imaginary friend.”

Clasping the bra straps together in the back, Moka held her hand out to Tora.

“Can you give me my brush?”

Tora nodded, turning to the small recess where Moka kept her keys and card. The sphinx frowned as she picked up a brush, the handle snapped and hanging by a slither of black plastic. The bristles of the rounded end were tipped with pink dots.

“It's broken.”

“I was too tired to finish last night. My hair feels all tangled up.”

“Don't you have another?”

Moka took the brush from Tora's hand, palming the rounded end.

“I can manage.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head as she regarded the vampire struggling with the task.

“You can borrow mine.”

Kurumu opened her schoolbag, shuffling about the contents for a second before remembering she had set her brush aside on the counter before walking out of her room. She sighed.

“Well I'm an idiot. Do you have your brush, Tora?”

“Why would I have my brush when my hair is in braids all day?”

“Kana?”

The blonde smiled nervously.

“Is it normal to have a brush? I've never carried mine with me.”

Kana's fine, yellow tresses curled slightly to avoid touching her shoulders. They always looked like they were perfectly managed, so it was surprising that the girl did not have a brush on her.

“I know Deshi has a fancy brush.”

Deshi frowned, her yellow eyes opening.

“I do.”

“Can you lend Moka your brush?”

“No.”

There was an unusual lack of mischief in the refusal.

“Why not?

Moka smiled at the foreign girl.

“You don't have to. I'm fine.”

Deshi's lips pursed in thought.

“It fine if she not find out.”

Deshi handed her staff to Tora as she opened up her bag to pull out her brush. The handle and back were made of jade porcelain with black bristles. It looked old and hand crafted. The foreigner gestured for Moka to turn about as she grabbed a swath of pink hair.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Hmm?”

“Who is she?”

“She owns this brush. It very special to her.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Did you borrow someone's brush?”

“No.”

“That is a pretty brush, DeDe. Is it your mother's? A family heirloom?”

The foreigner smiled.

“One could say that. It once belonged to Jasmine.”

“Jasmine? Who's that?”

The girl flashed her mischievous grin.

“Perhaps I know. Perhaps I don’t.”

Moka groaned, sighing as Deshi continued to make long, luxuriant pulls through her tresses.

“Is very lovely trinket. As is her rosary.”

“You leave my rosary alone.”

Deshi giggled. She made a couple more pulls before withdrawing. The vampire pouted for a moment, but went back to her closet to fetch her blouse as Deshi slipped her brush back into her schoolbag.

“Do you know legend of the tsukumogami?”

“Not in particular.”

“It said after hundred years, a cherished item will come alive. Perhaps rosary is like that.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I'm pretty sure Moka's rosary is not a hundred years old.”

Deshi grinned, taking her staff from Tora and flipping it back on her shoulders.

“True. Legends lie.”

* * *

There was something really wrong with Tsukune today. They had waited till seven forty this morning in the dining hall, but apparently he had come straight to school. Moka had tried to give him her study guide, but he had ignored them. In between classes he would only mutter mathematical equations that did not resemble the algebra lessons they were covering. Burumoto had chuckled at the behavior, saying Tsukune must have fried his brains out studying last night.

That imagery bothering her, Kurumu had spoken up during Ms. Kagome’s lecture to check on Tsukune. With a smile, the teacher had called Tsukune up to the board and he had effortlessly answered all the questions on the board. She had oddly prompted him to kiss her hand, which he had done so with an emotionless expression before returning to his desk. Ms. Kagome had encouraged all students to follow Tsukune’s example of taking the class seriously and respecting their teacher.

That display had made the end of that period quite troublesome. Burumoto and the boys had been looking to her for answers about what happened after they had left, their imaginations obviously running wild. She had become flush from the sheer intensity of their lustful suspicions, which damaged her ability to reassure them nothing had happened.

The bell sounded the start of the lunch hour. Ignoring Mr. Nagamushi’s parting gibberish, Kurumu got up from her seat and placed a hand on Moka’s shoulder. She turned and gestured at Tora to come over and join them. Not getting an immediate response, Kurumu voiced her desires.

“Get your butt over here, Tora. We need your help.”

Burumoto chuckled, putting away his things.

“Eloquently spoken. Need a man’s help?”

“Naw, we can figure this out. Right, Moka?”

The vampire tapped her mechanical pencil upon the study guide she had prepared for Tsukune. She had left it on his desk, but he had knocked it on the floor when he had went to the board. He had not picked it up when he had returned, which had troubled the vampire. Kurumu had promptly retrieved it to diminish the depths of Moka’s sulking.

“Yea… what did she do to him?”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head as Burumoto got to his feet.

“I don’t know. Supposedly the same stuff she does to me, but I’m never like that.”

“Yea, you still can’t answer the questions on the board.”

“Are you still here?”

Burumoto chuckled, gesturing for her to move aside so he could pass. She obliged backhanding his side when he tousled her hair. With a laugh, he joined Tamaishi and walked out the back door.

“What do you want to do, Moka?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m thinking we might want to bring him to Yukari. Hear her opinion on this.”

Tora had waited for Hedoyami to vacate the aisle before walking over to join them. She glanced at Tsukune as she passed.

“That was positively shameful of Ms. Kagome.”

“I know. I don’t know what she’s thinking.”

It certainly did not look like she was trying to help her have a kid with Tsukune. Kurumu noticed Satsuki had slipped in through the back and was prodding for her snoring friend to wake up for lunch.

“Hey, Satsuki!”

The girl’s ears reflexively perked up. Satsuki sighed, favoring her with a frown as she pressed her sienna ears back to the sides of her head. The girl crossed her arms about her chest.

“What?”

“Can you fetch Yukari for us? We have a situation here.”

“Fine. But don’t let Nerume run off without me.”

Kurumu nodded as Satsuki retreated back into the hallway. With a glance about the room, it looked like most of the students had already left. Kurumu sighed, realizing this included Shirayuki. Damn. She still had not talked with that girl. It had been a good sign to see her in class, but this new development with Tsukune had kept her distracted.

“I don’t suppose you would know anything about Lamias?”

Kurumu chuckled as Moka regarded Tora with a vacant expression.

“You mean like a camel?”

“No. Lamia. There’s another syllable in there.”

“Yea… um… no. What’s a lamia?”

Kurumu smirked.

“You mean your silver haired sister doesn’t know the answer to that one?”

“She’s not going to know everything.”

Moka frowned.

“Well that’s true. Don’t be like that.”

“It’s a little strange when she does that.”

Kurumu smirked.

“If Moka’s crush on my boyfriend continues, I’m sure they’re going to break up and agree to see different people.”

“She’s still not happy with you Kurumu.”

“Yea, yea. She’s more than welcome to come out and give me a spanking.”

Moka blushed.

“I’m not saying that!”

“I’m interested in meeting this other Moka.”

“I would suggest using a restroom first. You’d probably wet yourself.”

“I managed my bladder functions adequately in Kuyo’s presence. I’m sure I shall be fine.”

“I was joking, Tora.”

Tsukune got up from his desk and started shambling down the aisle. Tora grabbed him by the sleeve, but he kept trudging away. He was muttering math gibberish under his breath as he struggled against Tora’s stronger hold.

“What’s he doing?”

Kurumu sighed.

“Probably heading to lunch. Can you go with him, Moka?”

“What about bringing him to Yukari?”

“Just let him go, Tora. We can explain things to Yukari without him.”

Moka slipped out of her desk and quickly moved over to Tsukune’s side. She grabbed him by the other sleeve as Tora let go of him. She smiled at Kurumu.

“I’ll keep him safe.”

“I know you will.”

She glanced to the back of the class, noting Nerume had sat up and was looking about confused.

“Over here, Nerume.”

The girl yawned, clambering out of her desk. Stretching her arms over her head, she slowly walked behind the desks towards them.

“Is there any reason to call her over?”

“Maybe she’s an expert on lamia lore?”

Nerume frowned.

“Lamia lore? Is this a game? I’m not really into gaming.”

“Don’t you have three younger brothers?”

“Yea, and two controllers. They may be younger but the eight year old is almost my height. You think I’m going to try fighting over that?”

Kurumu smiled.

“Lamia is a type of monster. Looks like a serpent but has a flower bulb instead of a rattle for a tail.”

“That’s must look strange.”

“You turn into a horse with fiery hooves.”

“Yea, but I still have all my limbs. Where does your legs go if you’re a snake?”

Kurumu shrugged.

“I imagine it’s like being a mermaid. Don’t their legs come together and form a tail?”

“How do you have sex?”

Tora snorted.

“There’s the natural progression of things in this girl’s mind.”

Nerume blushed.

“But that’s a valid question.”

Kurumu giggled, shaking her head. She saw Satsuki coming through the back door with Yukari in tow. She waved for the two to join them.

“It’s not a question you need answered.”

Satsuki came up next to Nerume’s left side, regarding the group.

“So what are we talking about?”

“Lamias?”

“Lamias? Don’t you mean llamas?”

Yukari huffed, shaking her head.

“A lamia is a specific creature from Greek lore. Hera, tiring of her husband’s philandering ways, destroyed this woman’s children. In grief, she became a child eating monster.”

“They don’t actually eat children, right?”

“There was never a ‘they’ in the myth. It was one woman. Much like medusa.”

“Yes. We are aware that gorgons are not limited to the myths made about them.”

“Ms. Sasayaki has a publication on lamias in the library, no doubt a collaborative effort with her subject. The tears of a lamia have restorative powers, arguably the best antitoxin in existence. They have tested it in small dosages in the human world and found that it cures all bacterial and viral illnesses. The chemical structure mutates and adapts to neutralize anything it identifies as detrimental to the host. It’s a miracle substance that works logically but defies any reasoning how it can identify threats and how it can change its molecular structure to eliminate these threats.”

Kurumu nodded looking at the other girls.

“Sure. We just want to know if she’s fried his brain.”

“Whose brain?”

“Tsukune. She subjected him to one of those lessons she has been giving me.”

“Oh. He’ll be fine. They measured the current of her tail and it’s not life threatening.”

“But he doesn’t respond to anything. He keeps muttering nonsense.”

“She must be toying with that mind control ability of hers. It’s not permanent. Tsukune being how he is takes longer to recover from it. You’re always back to normal by the next morning.”

“Who are we talking about?”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Ms. Kagome is a lamia and she treated Tsukune to a special lesson of hers.”

Tora frowned.

“Should we be casually discussing the true form of one of our teachers?”

Satsuki and Nerume shrugged indifferently.

“Do you know why she singled Tsukune out?”

Kurumu paused. That was a difficult question to answer in front of everyone.

“I think she wanted to talk with me about Tsukune while he was present. She’s interested in my relationship with him.”

“Interested? Why would our teacher be interested in that?”

“I don’t know. But I’m worried she might have some agenda. Do lamias feed off relationships? I mean, I feed off of lust directed at me and Sakamori has to be inebriated to not feel pain. Maybe a lamia needs to be near a relationship? You could stop me if I’m wrong.”

Yukari smirked, having shook her head through most of that.

“She doesn’t need anything like that. It would have been mentioned.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Would there be any reason why she would encourage me to get pregnant?”

“What?!”

“You’re kidding me!”

“Ms. Kagome suggested that?!”

Kurumu held her palms up as every girl but Yukari voiced a protest at the idea.

“I know it’s insane. I don’t understand it.”

“Are you sure she wouldn’t eat a child?”

Kurumu laughed at Nerume’s innocent question.

“That’s crazy. Do you have any idea how long a woman is pregnant?”

“That would be the longest lunch line in history.”

Satsuki smacked Nerume’s shoulder.

“What? It would be.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m hungry. Can we go to lunch soon?”

Kurumu smiled, noting Yukari’s pensive expression.

“You’ve been quiet. What are your thoughts?”

“I don’t know. I don’t like that she suggested for you to get pregnant.”

“Well, yea… the whole being too young to be a parent.”

“There’s that, but it’s more than that.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It doesn’t strike me as something she would do.”

“Do what?”

“She may be flirting with the idea of having you host.”

“Host?”

“But that’s absurd. Does anyone here actually think Ms. Kagome is in love with Tsukune?”

“Hell no!”

Kurumu was not alone in that assessment, Nerume giggling at the thought.

“So it can’t be that.”

“Can we go? I’m like starving!”

“You two can go on ahead. Maybe you can catch up to Moka.”

Nerume pouted.

“What? We’re not eating together?”

Kurumu smiled stepping over to give the girl a hug. This caused Yukari to sigh, shaking her head as she touched her temple.

“What is with you and hugging everything?”

“Oh be quiet, Yukari. Is there anything else you had to say about lamias?”

“Not really. We may want to speak with Ms. Sasayaki if she takes further interest in Tsukune. To be safe.”

“I agree with Ms. Sendou. Anyways, I should be heading off to lunch now.”

Kurumu grinned.

“Don’t plan to eat with us?”

Tora smirked, tapping the white armband on her sleeve.

“Of course not. I will be eating with my club that allows me to bypass the lunch line.”

Nerume’s eyes widened.

“You can do that?!”

“One of the perks of being with the PSC.”

“I want to reapply!”

“Take me with you!”

Tora chuckled, shaking her head as she offered a small wave before turning away.

“I’ll be your friend forever, Ms. Nazohashi.”

Kurumu laughed, squeezing the smaller girl. Nerume let out an exasperated grunt as Tora made her way out the front of the classroom. She paused at the door, smiling at them before slipping out into the hall.

“You know you have to score over eighty percent on the term tests, Satsuki. They probably turned you down because of your assessment grades.”

“Shit. You serious?”

“Yea. Lady Hineri was laying down the qualifications to get into their club when she was scouting us for potential members.”

Yukari sighed, stalking around Satsuki intent on the back door.

“Hold up, Yukari.”

“Now what?”

“I forgot to tell you about going shopping with Hiboshi yesterday.”

Yukari turned to favor her with an incredulous frown.

“Why would I do that?”

“I think Hiboshi feels obligated to thank you for what you did.”

“She doesn’t need to. I didn’t do it for her sake.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Yea… she’s kind of suspicious of you.”

Yukari sighed.

“Kurumu. I did that for Tsukune. You should know that.”

The witch resumed her walk to the back door.

“He would have never forgiven himself if she had died.”

* * *

Shirayuki had not returned after lunch. This was the second time in two days. This was damn annoying and she was thankful for Asuka's help. While her official station partner was such a sweet girl, Hinoko was completely useless. At least she was behaving herself and not trying to sabotage their rice pudding assignment.

It was relaxing eating lunch with Nerume and Satsuki. They had mostly discussed weekend plans, with Kurumu reminding Nerume about the soccer shoot. Nerume had backed out of that commitment, way too embarrassed to be around the soccer team after her condom conversation had been outed. She was glad she had not told Chisa or Tama about it yet, as there was no way she would have them show up and potentially overhear such bad things about her.

Kurumu had mentioned her plans of getting a shower caddy, which had amused Satsuki. Kurumu had forgotten she had less than a hundred yen after that movie last weekend, so she was not financially capable of doing squat. Satsuki had suggested bumming some cash off her boyfriend. When Kurumu had protested the thought of being a burden on him, Satsuki had thought her silly and that a cheap mesh tote was not that expensive at all. She had invited Kurumu to wake her up tomorrow so she could show her what she was talking about.

She did not recall much else. They had not pushed her for any information about herself or this thing with Ms. Kagome. Nerume was planning to attend the after school lesson today to keep her company. Midterms were also coming up, so they had kicked around a couple ideas on arranging a study session before the bell sounded. The two liked the idea of crashing at Tokori's place, saving the drinking for a weekend night after their success.

Not much had happened during science class. Moka had looked upset and withdrawn and there had been no notable improvement in Tsukune's condition. Natsudera had mentioned a slight altercation in the hallway before the start of the hour in which Ms. Kagome had tossed Moka's study guide aside with some comment about her teaching method being far superior to some silly notes. As Moka had picked up her guide, Tsukune had walked to class all distant and detached while Ms. Kagome went into class four for her fifth period lecture.

Natsudera had been inquisitive about the whole situation, which had made it impossible to focus on Mr. Hakuru's lecture. Kurumu had done her best to explain things, defending her status as his girlfriend. It was not like she could have written a study guide for him so of course she had let Moka do it. Tsukune did not have a crush on Ms. Kagome and was merely placating her until he no longer needed her help.

“I'm going to get fat.”

Asuka sighed, blowing across the steaming bowl of pudding. Being creative, they had added some things to flavor the pudding. Tokori had mashed up some bananas and had sprinkled in cinnamon and ginger. It probably would have tasted better if they had not bothered adding the ginger.

Hinoko grinned as she spooned another serving into her mouth. She was seated up on the counter next to the sink, humming as she gently bobbed her legs to not draw Ms. Hitori's wrath. She was behaving as Asuka had instructed, bribed into complacency with a birthday invitation.

Asuka had decided to host her party on the Saturday night after her birthday. The blonde had taken Tokori's suggestion to heart and was looking forward to proving her superiority in bowling. Her plan was to kick things off at four, bowl until she was bored, eat dinner somewhere fancy and goof off at the arcade till it was night. Tokori had promptly shot down the idea of staying over at her place.

“It must be nice having a boyfriend to dump all this stuff on.”

Kurumu smiled as she leaned on the island counter next to Tokori. She stirred the contents of her bowl absently with her spoon.

“I don't do that. I sit in the back next to Moka with a whole bunch of boys. Most of the time I just leave the stuff in the vacant desk in front of me.”

“I'm surprised you have a vacant desk near you. Were you late to your first day of school?”

“It was Saizou's desk.”

Tokori pulled her spoon out of her mouth.

“I hear he will be returning to school for the midterms.”

Asuka's eyes widened.

“Are you serious? Didn't he attack some teachers?”

“He was restrained by Ms. Hitori. Attacking a teacher gets you suspended a few days, depending on the severity of the attack. It doesn't get you expelled unless you keep doing it.”

She gestured to the empty corner of the counter beneath Hinoko's bobbing legs.

“Shirayuki got away with it on the whole no witnesses clause.”

“I still find it crazy that she attacked a teacher.”

Kurumu sighed. Word about Shirayuki's misguided affections and attack upon Coach Kotsubo had spread like wildfire thanks to some loose lipped boys. She should have never confessed about charming Coach Kotsubo for the truth.

“You guys know that was an accident. She wasn't attacking anybody when she had her outburst in class last week.”

“I wonder what she writes in that notebook of hers. Do you think she's plotting our deaths?”

Tokori smirked.

“I can't imagine why anyone would want to harm you.”

“Maybe I said something that upset her. Maybe she's mad that I flung frosting on her.”

“Asuka. This might come as a shock, but I doubt she thinks about you at all.”

Asuka pouted up at Yuu. A flash of jagged white lines crossed her blue eyes as she held up her two fingers. A small spark crackled for a moment.

“I'll poke you.”

“Don't.”

Kurumu smiled as she swallowed down another mouthful of pudding.

“You're not going to get fat. Your metabolism must be much higher than a human's.”

Asuka sighed, dispelling the white crackle of energy upon her fingertips. She leaned on the island counter across from them, stirring the contents of her bowl.

“Yea, I know. Would be nice if I could put on a little though.”

“You want to be fat?”

“No. But it would be nice to have some curves.”

“You have curves.”

“Boys have curves.”

Asuka was the thinnest of the group. Her waist was about the same as her hips, which was unusual for most girls their age. Having seen the girl in gym clothes, Kurumu knew it was best to change subjects.

“So were you planning to invite anyone else to your birthday party?”

“Obviously everyone here is invited.”

“Including Shirayuki?”

“Of course. She'd probably kill me if I didn't at least offer.”

“What's with all the death talk? Nobody is planning to kill you.”

“One of our seniors is getting death threats if she doesn't go out with someone. As usual, Asuka has decided this has something to do with her.”

“You never know when somebody has it out for you. When you least expect it-”

Asuka poked Yuu in the side that caused the girl to growl in pain.

“They slash you to pieces and eat the evidence.”

Yuu scowled, rubbing her side.

“Don't do that!”

“Who is getting death threats?”

“Ms. Horie. She finds the whole thing amusing.”

Kurumu honestly did not remember which one that was. She clearly recalled the Ohira cousins, Uchiyama's sister, Kishi and Kettou. It could have been any of the other five, including Uchiyama's roommate. She sighed.

“Which one is Horie? My memory is so bad.”

“She's the dark haired one you'll see in gym. From Class 3-3.”

Kurumu nodded, remembering the girl now. Horie was the quite, reserved girl. It was difficult to imagine that girl would not be worried about a death threat, what with her timid disposition.

“So what's this about being slashed and eaten? Was that the threat?”

“I don't know. It seems the most likely thing to happen.”

“You have a gruesome imagination.”

Tokori shrugged.

“That's tame. I've heard a lot worse from my mother. She sees some messed up stuff at the hospital.”

“Were you planning on inviting any other track girls to your party?”

“I've invited some, but I doubt any of the upperclassmen would come. Bikiyama and Uchikawa are guaranteed. Uchikawa said she would try and convince her aunt to chaperone us. Matsudera will probably come since she's paired up with Uchikawa all the time.”

Kurumu smiled. Uchikawa was the health teacher and cheerleader advisor whom had been very glib about her family situation, but had not brought up her relationship to the track girl.

“What about Kakeru? I know she's in your group.”

“I asked but I don't know. She tends to leave practice on her own and doesn't speak much with us.”

“Well if you can convince her to come, I have a few of her friends that I would like you to meet.”

Yuu sighed.

“That's fine but can you get a headcount to me by Wednesday? I'm the one making the arrangements because she's too nervous to make reservations.”

“It's only two more girls. Maybe three if you can convince Kakeru to bring Goto.”

“Are you going to bring Ms. Akashiya?”

Kurumu smiled.

“Did you want her to come?”

“Of course. It's not every day you have a good excuse to chat with the princess.”

“I can ask her. Would you mind if I also invited some other members from the newspaper club?”

“Sure, you can bring them all.”

Yuu sighed, shaking her head.

“We haven't seen this place yet. How many people are we talking about now?”

Kurumu shrugged, amused with Yuu's distress. She glanced at Tokori.

“How big is this bowling alley?”

“I don't remember. I haven't been there since I was eight or nine.”

“I wonder if Tora mentioned it in the things to do.”

Tokori smirked.

“You don't read your own paper.”

“I sent my copy to my mother before I read it.”

“I heard your class rep will be stepping down to join Tokori in the PSC ranks.”

“That's right. They're going to be good friends.”

“I suppose. She's quiet and respectful of other people's privacy. Unlike some present people.”

Kurumu grinned as she fetched herself a helping of her pudding. It was hard to say if that remark was leveled at Asuka or herself. It might even be for both.

“You know our class has two reps. Both volunteered for it, so Ms. Kagome let them share it.”

“That's not special. Uchikawa's class also has two and so does another. I can't remember if she said it was class ten or twelve.”

Asuka beamed brightly.

“It's ten. That cute couple that aren't really a couple but have known each other since grade school.”

“Maybe. I don't remember her saying they were both class reps though.”

“We can ask Akari tonight. I don't remember the name of the guy she is class reps with. I know he's one of the top ten students, but that's it.”

“I wonder if I should suggest having two reps to Tora. It might make it easier to find a volunteer if the person knew they didn't have to do everything.”

“Why don't you volunteer for it?”

Kurumu snorted.

“I don't think the class would approve of a rep that's barely passing her subjects.”

“I'm curious, but what do you plan to do after high school?”

“Plan?”

“Naturally I'm going to try to use my Uncle's connections to see if I can land a job in Fairy Tale. They'll take you right out of high school if you picked the business elective path.”

Tokori grunted with disgust.

“I'd rather not talk about our corrupt government.”

“A job's a job. What are you thinking of doing? College?”

“Yea.”

“In what field?”

Tokori sighed.

“I don't know. I have years before I have to make up my mind.”

“What about you, Kurumu?”

“My mother has been pushing me to go to college for as long as I remember. She had so many ideas about things I could do, but I've never thought a whole lot about which one I should do.”

“Well… you do have a boyfriend so maybe it doesn't matter.”

“Asuka.”

Asuka sighed.

“Not everyone is like you, Yuu. You have a family business to go back to. My mother's a simple housewife and my father works for Fairy Tale as a power plant engineer. There's no future in track and I don't have any talents or passions.”

She gestured to Tokori.

“If Fairy Tale allowed monstrels in, would you want to work for them?”

“I don't know. It's annoying to think those options are closed to me.”

“Well… it's not that impressive. Just find yourself something in the human world. That's why I didn’t enroll in the business program. Maybe in a couple years I’ll find something I really want.”

Yuu smirked.

“Or you’ll find a man to whisk you away from having to figure things out on your own.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Kurumu smiled at Asuka’s quick response. It would be nice if things could be as simple as becoming Tsukune’s wife, but that did sound rather childish. It was not like she had come to high school hunting for a husband. Even if Mother had allowed her to go to a human school that had never been the goal. What did she want? All she had known was she did not want to be like her mother, living on her back.

“I probably should work on my studies. I want to at least be able to go to college.”

That felt right. Even if she did not know what she wanted to do, having college as an option was the most important thing for her to focus on. It certainly was not the time to contemplate having a baby.

“You know Fairy Tale would love to have you.”

“Why?”

“My Uncle works with a succubus. She helps keep monster incidents from hitting mainstream media.”

“You mean like cover ups?”

“Yea… she uses her charm to keep the men in charge from getting too deep in our affairs.”

Tokori snorts.

“Stay clear of that line of work, Kurumu. It’s a nice way of saying prostitution.”

“Not really. I can charm a guy without doing anything sexual.”

“I’ve met Ms. Kiyoshi a few times. She’s gorgeous. Not that you aren’t. You’re adorable, but Ms. Kiyoshi has such a mature and sensual aura about her. I swear if Father wasn’t wearing protective eyewear, he would have left Mother in a heartbeat.”

“That’s not something to be proud of.”

“She’s more like Yuu. She only talks when she is prompted to. I’m curious if her demeanor changes when she deals with humans.”

“Yea… well I’m not interested in working for Fairy Tale if it involves charming men.”

“It’s better than bribes and assassins.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Do you know if Ms. Kiyoshi has a family?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“The job is probably why. Hard to have a family if you earn your money flirting with men.”

“Or sleeping with them.”

Kurumu grimaced at Tokori’s addition. Scooping up another spoonful, she let it hover by her lips.

“Yea… without a family you probably could do that without feeling too guilty.”

“Hey, it’s just a suggestion. You could also become a match maker.”

Kurumu made an inquisitive sound around her spoon, swallowing down the sweet substance.

“You know. A match maker. It’s not a Fairy Tale job, but Ms. Kiyoshi mentioned a succubus acquaintance of hers that was self-employed as a match maker. They’ve been trying to rope this woman in for decades, but she’s satisfied with her choice of living.”

“What exactly does she do?”

“She helps women find suitable mates.”

“So if this thing with your brother doesn’t work out, she could help you find a Raiji?”

Asuka stuck her tongue out at Kurumu. Grinning, Kurumu continued working on her pudding.

“No. She exclusively deals in the matter of helping women find suitable human males whom are well established and capable of taking care of them.”

“How?”

Asuka shrugged.

“I don’t know. This was one conversation last summer that I overheard. Maybe she uses her charm.”

Kurumu frowned, doubting a charm was strong enough to do that. Most males recovered within hours.

“Well… I’m not sure if I’m suited for that. I have trouble with my own relationship.”

“I understand that.”

“Did you catch that woman’s name?”

“Name? Oh… no. They might have said it, but I don’t remember.”

Kurumu nodded, interested in these women. If she fed these names to Ms. Sasayaki, it might help her learn more about her species. She scraped her bowl for another helping, nearly finished with her bowl.

“I kind of wonder if Fairy Tale will even be around after I graduate college.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well… our eighth period is dedicated to this idea of coexistence, but that’s a complete joke. They’re teaching us how to hide within society. We’ve been hiding for centuries.”

“True, but it’s more important now that we’re in the information age.”

“Uncle has been talking about this for as long as I can remember. Maybe it’s time to come out and establish dominance.”

Kurumu chuckled as she put the last of her pudding into her mouth. She smiled, setting her empty bowl and spoon aside. She noticed that Hinoko was drinking from her silver flask with her bowl presumably in the sink. Yuu had finished hers quite early into the conversation. Tokori was shaking her head, amazed at Asuka’s audacity.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?”

“They outnumber us.”

“The commoners have always outnumbered the nobles throughout all of history.”

Tokori snorted.

“That’s pureblood pride talking. The last thing we need is your prejudices ruling the world.”

“You wouldn’t be at the bottom of the chain, Tokori. That’s for humans.”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head.

“That’s not coexistence, Asuka. That sounds like you’re trying to enslave humanity.”

“I don’t know what Uncle wants, but none of the Fairy Tale leaders plan to beg for human mercy. We can’t apologize for existing. Our only choice is taking control.”

“You’ve been listening too much to this uncle of yours.”

“Yea… probably. But it makes it hard for me to think about what I’m going to do in the future when I have an uncle that spouts looming war every time he visits.”

Kurumu gestured to the half-finished bowl in Asuka’s hands.

“You should finish your pudding.”

Asuka grimaced.

“I’m not in the mood anymore. Do you want to finish mine?”

Kurumu glanced at her watch, noting that the bell was going to sound in about three minutes. They really needed to tend to the dishes. Kurumu sighed, thinking she wanted to talk with Tora about her plans for the future. She was also a little curious what Moka had planned in regards to a career.

“Can I pass on dishes this time? I’m not-“

She did not sense the threat. A sharp pain pierced her from behind as a jagged spear sprouted from her chest. She stared dumbly at the bloodied shard that had torn through her right breast. She could not breathe as she touched the sharp chunk. It felt so cold.

She heard her name shouted behind her, but the sound was dull and distant. The look on Asuka’s face terrified Kurumu as arms folded protectively around her, keeping her upright as her legs lost strength. She felt the icicle melt into nothing as a liquid warmth rushed in to fill the gaps.

“Tokori?”

Blood dribbled out of her lips, the name but a distant whisper. She reached up to touch the girl’s face, but her hand pushed through something fluid with only the illusion of shape. She felt like she was falling into a bright light. Everything was turning white. She felt so tired.

* * *

Kurumu groaned as she became aware of this throbbing ache in her chest. She shifted, realizing she was on her back in a bed beneath sheets. It was not comfortable enough to be Yukari’s bed. Touching her chest which had been wrapped in gauze, Kurumu opened her eyes to regard the white ceiling. Shifting again, she confirmed that she was only in her panties. She noted a curtain had been drawn about the bed. She was in the infirmary.

She sighed, not recalling much of what had happened. That attack had ruined her blouse and sweater. Another uniform lost. Maybe she should consider being a tailor for the students at Yokai. Clearly there was a steady source of work.

She glanced out the window. It was dark, which meant after seven. She saw her schoolbag had been set aside on the end table in the corner of the room on her left. Somebody had fetched a casual outfit for her to wear home. She wondered which girl had thought those gray leggings would look good with that off shoulder, short sleeved, carnation pink blouse.

Where did they put her skirt? While it might have been stained, there was no reason to pitch it. She grimaced as her body ached, protesting her effort to sit up. She sighed, glancing back at the curtain. She wondered if there was someone here. Surely they would not leave her in this room unattended.

“Hello?”

Kurumu swallowed, her throat dry. She worked up a bit of spit to swallow down. It felt horrible.

“Hello!? Is anyone there?”

She heard footsteps approaching her. The shadow of figure came closer to the curtain before it was promptly drawn aside.

Ms. Kagome favored her with a slight whimper as the woman clutched her hand to her periwinkle blouse. She must have removed her jacket. Oddly she was also without her skirt, shoes and stockings, so the teacher was clad only in a simple white panty as she hurried over to sit down next to Kurumu. With reddened eyes, the woman reached over to caress Kurumu’s cheeks.

“I thought I lost you.”

It felt nice, bringing back memories of her mother whom would fawn over her for any injury she had been willing to share. Kurumu breathed in deeply, but her throat hated her.

“Water?”

“Of course, my dear. Of course.”

The teacher got up and promptly walked off out of view. She heard the sound of a liquid filling a container. As Kurumu struggled to get into a seated position, Ms. Kagome returned with a clear glass, filled to the brim. The teacher sat down on the bed next to her lifting the cup to Kurumu’s lips as she reached over to caress the back of Kurumu’s head.

“I can manage.”

“It’ll be okay.”

Kurumu relaxed her hand on Kagome’s wrist, allowing the woman to tip the glass for her. Some spilled across the sheet but Kurumu had a mouthful and swallowed quite a bit down before registering the taste. It was faint, yet familiar. Kurumu groaned, spitting it up which forced the teacher to back off.

“I’m sorry. Too fast?”

Kurumu took a deep breath. She did feel better, but the aftertaste was the same as the tea.

“Did you drug my drink?”

“With my tears. They can fix everything. It will be fine. You won’t feel anything.”

Kurumu whimpered.

“How will I get home if you drug me? Am I supposed to spend the night here?”

“I will take you home. I have all of your things. Don’t worry, my dear.”

Kurumu pouted as the teacher sat on the side of the bed, caressing her cheek.

“What happened?”

“You nearly died.”

“I know. Did Shirayuki attack me?”

“She’s been suspended. You don’t have to worry about that girl.”

“No… It wasn’t supposed to be like that.”

“I know. I wanted her expelled and so did Coach Kotsubo. What she did was unforgivable. If Ms. Hitori had not acted quickly, she might have killed one of those other girls near her.”

Kurumu sighed, clutching her head with her left hand.

“That’s not what I meant. I needed to apologize to her.”

Ms. Kagome set the glass aside and held Kurumu firmly by the shoulders. She stared at Kurumu through her thin wired glasses.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“That’s not true. I betrayed her trust.”

“She lied to you about Kotsubo. There was never any trust.”

Her heart twisted as she lowered her eyes. She knew it was true but it still hurt so much.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

Fingertips caressed her temples and about her ear.

“You need to stop, my love. You can’t be nice to people that give you nothing in return.”

Ms. Kagome leaned in to give Kurumu’s forehead a gentle kiss. Kurumu lifted her hands, pushing the teacher back. This felt strange. She knew the drug was kicking in, but Ms. Kagome was too close. This care felt oppressive.

“Why are you only in your panties?”

The teacher pulled back but let her hands linger on Kurumu’s cheek and shoulder.

“Why did you not eat lunch with Mr. Aono today?”

Kurumu closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“I saw he was with Ms. Akashiya. You shouldn’t let him be around that girl.”

“Moka’s our friend.”

“Is she your friend? My sweet, love is not the only thing that can be unrequited.”

That hurt. She shook her head.

“No. Moka cares. She cares so much. I’m the one that’s selfish. I’m the-“

Ms. Kagome tugged her forward, cutting her words off by pressing lips to hers. Kurumu whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she weakly tried to push away. The calming drug was too much. She could feel her consciousness slipping away as the woman broke the kiss to breathe hotly against her cheek.

“I’ll take care of you, my love. I promise. We can all be happy together.”

She was dimly aware of the covers being drawn back as the woman leaned down to kiss her again. The serpentine tail slithered up into view, the bulb pulsing. Kurumu closed her eyes with a lingering thought.

This was what she deserved.


	9. Broken Things

An incessant beeping demanded her attention. Kurumu groaned as the darkness of her mind was replaced with the darkness of the room. She recalled the encounter in the infirmary, but it felt distant and eerie, like a dream. The last firm memory was of Ms. Kagome's tongue pushing against hers while the woman caressed the side of her face.

Her body felt weird. She groaned as her body protested the fullness of her bladder while also being in this agitated state of desire. She reached over to her alarm, shutting the annoying thing off. She rolled onto her back, panting heavily as her breasts strained against the fabric of her blue, corduroy tank. Her ass felt sore and her inner thighs tingled with pain. Her little pleasure button was swollen and throbbing.

She groaned, rubbing her eyes. Why was this body so insatiable? Sighing, her other hand crept down her navel to access the situation. Her breath caught in her throat when her body jerked with sudden orgasm. She whimpered as she was assaulted by unprecedented spasms of pleasure. Her heart fluttered madly as her toes curled against her bedding.

She panted while cupping her quivering nethers, needing a moment. She felt so sore and sensitive, but she was not moist at all. Once she caught her breath, she licked her fingers. Lathered up in saliva, she drifted this hand down to join the first.

As she gently caressed her folds, she wondered how she could be so agitated while being this dry. Was her body not aroused? She furtively pushed a fingertip up inside, not feeling any different from the intrusion. She was too sore to notice the added discomfort.

Adjusting her wrist, she daringly pushed in her middle finger to join her index. She frowned, pausing to take in a deep breath. Normally her body would be all sorts of angry with her for daring to shove a second finger in. Maybe she was too sore? Letting out another breath, she squeezed her ring finger in to join the others.

It was gone.

She whimpered as a flurry of emotions assaulted her. What the fuck had happened to her hymen? She withdrew her fingers, bringing them into view. They were stained red with blood. There was no way she had broken it. Did this mean she was not a virgin? Did she have nothing left at all to give to Tsukune?

Her mind tried to make sense of the discovery, but she could not stop the tears. It hurt so much. Why were such simple things being denied her? That small thing had survived the horror of Nagare's oral rape. It had been her silver lining. Now it was gone and she had no idea how or why.

Ms. Kagome had kissed her but she was a woman. Sure, a hymen probably could be broken by anything, but there was no reason for Ms. Kagome to do that. Another woman had no incentive to shove anything up her vagina.

But what was the alternative? There was no guarantee that Ms. Kagome had walked her home. It was possible that someone had raped while she was in her daze. Was it even rape if she had been as docile and compliant as Yukari had observed? Fuck, it could have even been a nice guy like Burumoto or Tamaishi. She could see either of them taking things too far if she did not put up any resistance.

As tears rolled down her cheeks, she realized it did not matter. Nothing mattered. It was not like she would end up pregnant and she could always check with the hospital this weekend to make sure of that. Nobody had to know anything. Sniffling, she noted it was nine after six as she forced herself to get up.

As she picked up her bedding, Kurumu winced. That bladder pain was flaring back up, though she was so swollen she would never be able to pee. As her body cramped again, she realized it was not really her bladder. It was hard to explain what hurt. Grimacing, she tucked the futon into its space in her closet.

Something cracked inside of her. It felt so strange. There was this wet sensation, dripping down. She held her breath as another cramp assaulted her midsection. That trickle was reaching somewhere close enough to give her an idea of where it was going. She quickly pressed her left palm between her thighs, unsure what she should do.

As some fluids dribbled out onto her palm, she lost her composure. Had she been raped so roughly that something had broken inside of her? Another pain clamped down, forcing her to lean against her closet door for support. She felt another crack, followed by more wetness falling down within her. Whimpering, she withdrew her hand to note this reddish substance smeared on her palm. It was so dark it was almost black. It also reeked so pungently that it caused her stomach to turn.

Frightened, she hobbled over to her door, yanking it open. She needed to talk to Tora. She needed a voice of reason to figure this out. Turning the deadbolt to avoid locking herself out, Kurumu staggered her way down the hall. Two showers were in use as a couple girls chatted with each other. Hoping nobody else could smell this stench, she made her way to the elevator lobby and smacked the call button. She grimaced at the feel of fluids creeping down her inner thighs.

She whimpered as she waited impatiently for the elevator. There was another crack as her body cramped up once more. What should she do? It hurt so much. She could not get dressed with this stuff coming out. She wondered if she should stand in a shower, until it passed. Surely her monster regenerative abilities would fix any internal injuries soon enough. Why was this elevator taking so long?

Frustrated she pushed her way into the stairwell. She paused at the top of the stairs as another wave of pain wracked her core. These foul fluids had dribbled halfway down her thighs and she would not be surprised if she had gotten some on the floor. Grimacing, she used the handrail as she slowly descended the first flight of steps.

Kurumu took deep breaths as she made her way down to the first landing. This putrid ooze stank. She would have covered her mouth if she did not need the rail for support. It was a struggle not to retch on the floor, even though she was certain her stomach was empty. She felt another crack but this time it was a gush of fluids that followed. She heard some splatter against the floor.

She shuddered, freaking out at this. Reaching the next landing, Kurumu pulled the door open and bolted across the fifth floor lobby. Still futilely cupping herself, she knocked frantically on Moka's door. She needed someone, anyone at this point.

“Moka, I need your help! Please get up!”

She whimpered as another spike of pain twisted her insides. She could feel the thick ooze dripping into her palm like sludge. She leaned heavily on the door, balling her hand into a fist as she banged the door desperately.

“Please! I really need you! Moka!”

She heard a grunt of displeasure on her right. A familiar track girl regarded her with a hand covering her nose and mouth. The girl's shaggy, dark gray locks hung over her ears and her left eye as a fluffy, gray and white wolf's tail whisked about behind her. A black towel was wrapped about her torso as she clutched three shower bottles against her modest bosom. A pink loofa dangled from its black cord from her wrist. Matsudera. She would not have remembered if Asuka had not mentioned her yesterday.

“You okay?”

Kurumu managed a smile.

“I'll be fine.”

Another girl slipped out of a room further down the hall from what would be 503. She had long, curly black hair that fell down to the small of her back. She had an aged, white towel slung over her shoulder and was holding a plastic bag which contained her shower things. She started walking towards them with her head down.

“Can I borrow your conditioner? I forgot to buy some last weekend.”

The track girl forced a smile, turning aside.

“Yea, sure.”

The other girl made a loud sniff, her head lifting. Her long nose was crinkled as her lips turned with disgust. Her hazel eyes met Kurumu's as this girl came up beside the taller Matsudera.

“That's awful. She sick or something?”

Matsudera grabbed the other by the arm and walked around Kurumu.

“I hope you feel better, Ms. Kurono.”

“Did she soil herself?”

“Of course not.”

“Are you sure?”

“You should know the difference.”

Kurumu waited for the two to slip into the showers. She whimpered as her body decided to torment her more. She knocked on the door harder, feeling it rattle on its hinges.

“Moka, please! Wake up!”

She heard a deadbolt drawn back as the door on her right tugged open. Satsuki stumbled out of her room, scratching her sienna locks. Her eyes were barely open as she held up a black mesh tote by a wide handle stitched at both ends. A green bar of soap was enclosed in a clear plastic box tucked into one of the many pockets of the tote. Along with the shower goodies, the girl had a green toothbrush and a large tube of toothpaste.

“See. Something like this.”

“Satsuki! Help me!”

Kurumu pushed the tote aside and grabbed the girl, smearing some of the nasty substance upon Satsuki's bared shoulder. She whimpered as her body ached from the sudden movement. She bowed her head as her insides cramped up once more. She panted, waiting for the spasms to pass.

“What is that awful smell?”

Satsuki grimaced, covering her mouth and nose with her free hand. She tried to pull away, but Kurumu stumbled forward into her. The girl sighed, lowering her hand to rest on Kurumu's shoulder.

“That top doesn't cover.”

“It hurts! I don't know what's wrong.”

“Come with me.”

Kurumu lowered her hands, trying to cup herself as Satsuki took her other hand. She shuffled after the girl, finally registering the girl's pajamas. Satsuki's faded pink, spaghetti string tank top did not reach her belly button and revealed the two small dimples in her lower back. The white and pink polka dot shorts had elastic bands that cinched the garment at her waist and thighs.

They turned through the opening on the left into the bathroom, which was the same on every floor. The six shower stalls were through the opening on the right and there were six toilet stalls in front of them. A long counter sink was also on the right with a wall mirror. Only two showers were running, but things always livened up once it got closer to six thirty.

“Let's get you cleaned up.”

Satsuki pushed open the nearest toilet stall, guiding her in and gesturing for her to sit down.

“What are we doing?”

“You're going to sit down until that stops flowing like you burst an artery.”

Kurumu grimaced, obediently taking a seat on the cold porcelain. She clutched her lower abdomen as another pain punished her for sitting.

“It hurts. What's wrong with me?”

Satsuki sighed, shaking her head. With a quick glance about, she closed the stall door.

“I don't know if you're dumb or if it's worse than normal.”

“Huh?”

“Your period. Is it hurting more than normal?”

“I don't have periods.”

“Of course you do. Every girl does.”

Kurumu shook her head vehemently, instantly regretting as her body tensed up. She gasped.

“I don't. Not all monsters have periods.”

“You're bleeding out of your pussy. That's a period if I've ever seen one. Sure that's darker than blood normally is, and it smells like rotten eggs, but that's a period.”

That was an accurate description for the smell. She grimaced as she felt another crack which was rewarded with a splash against the puddle of water in the toilet.

“Are you sure?”

“Well… what else could it be?”

“Maybe I was raped and something broke inside me. I don't even know how I got home yesterday.”

Satsuki sighed.

“I don't know what's going on. Nerume said something about you getting hurt by a classmate, but she said you would be fine after some rest. I thought you were in the infirmary.”

“I woke up in the infirmary but Ms. Kagome gave me her stupid drug and then I woke up here.”

“She wouldn't send you home all doped up.”

Kurumu winced, clutching Satsuki's hand as she dealt with another spasm.

“She has. Many times.”

“Okay, yea. But that's crazy that she would do it after you were in the infirmary.”

“I don't know how sane she is.”

Satsuki sighed.

“Why would you think you were raped?”

“My hymen is broken.”

“How would you know this?”

“Well… you know.”

“Not really. I mean… I suppose if you looked at it in a mirror on a regular basis, you might see a difference.”

“No!”

“Well, how? And don't say it’s because there was blood. Of course you will have blood on your fingers if you play with yourself during your period.”

Kurumu grimaced, taking in a sharp breath. She waited for it to pass.

“I've never been able to fit two fingers comfortably in before.”

“So what? You know hymens are flexible, right? I've been at two fingers for years. It doesn't mean my hymen is busted.”

Okay, now she was confused and feeling stupid. She shook her head, certain she was right.

“No, you don't understand. Two days ago I still hated even putting in one and I could put in three this morning. That's not normal.”

Satsuki sighed, scratching the back of her head.

“Tell me exactly what happened when you woke up.”

Kurumu frowned as she collected her thoughts. There was no reason to mention the orgasm.

“I got up and I felt something break inside me. Then this stuff started coming out.”

“When did the three fingers happen?”

“Right before getting up. I felt sore and sensitive so I checked it.”

“Was there any fluids on your sheets?”

“Huh?”

“Anything other than blood?”

“I… no.”

Satsuki scratched her head.

“I don't know. I would think there would be some traces of other stuff if a guy had put baby cream in you. Are you sure your body isn't just reacting to having a period?”

Kurumu groaned as her insides writhed. Satsuki leaned in to caress the side of her head.

“It's okay. I'm going to check with the housemother and see if she saw you last night.”

Kurumu seized the girl by her arm.

“No, don't leave me!”

“Seriously? I'm almost positive this is just you freaking out over having your first period.”

“But Satsuki!”

“Calm down. What we're going to do is wait for this stuff to slow down to a trickle. Then we're going to go up to your room and get your things, so we can both shower. Then I'm going to slap a pad on your ass and you're going to soldier through these cramps for the day.”

“Are you sure?”

“Or you can call it a day. Lots of girls skip a day or two for their period.”

“But I don't think I should miss school.”

She winced as her body cramped up again. She clutched tightly to both of Satsuki's arms as she waited for it to pass.

“Suit yourself. I know I’m not missing a whole day of school to watch you bleed.”

There was a curt knock on the stall door.

“Hey, Ms. Kurono?”

It was Matsudera.

“Yea?”

“Did you need anything? I can try waking up Moka if you need her.”

“No, we're fine in here.”

“Could you wake up Genzouyaki and send her to us? She's in 524.”

“Sure. I'll get dressed first and send her your way.”

Footsteps retreated.

“You know those girls, Nikki?”

“Not really. But Ms. Shindou was bawling all yesterday about Ms. Kurono getting killed. I should…”

The words trailed off as the two girls got further down the hall. Wincing at another jab in her side, Kurumu let out another ragged breath.

“Why would you ask for Nerume?”

“She's in your class. If we're running late, we can send her ahead.”

Kurumu nodded. She felt horrible. Barring the mental scarring, this felt worse than her experience with Nagare slobbering all over her precious place.

“So… how long does a period last?”

Satsuki shrugged.

“Could be a week or a few days. Mine take forever but only the second day is annoying.”

Kurumu grimaced. She certainly hoped it would not be a week. She could hear showers running, which meant more girls must have walked by during her dilemma.

“What time is it?”

“I don’t know. It was like six fifteen when I crawled out of bed to your pounding.”

Kurumu nodded. That probably meant it was almost six thirty now, since they had been here long enough for Matsudera to shower.

“Has it stopped enough for us to go get your things?”

“I don’t know. Shouldn’t we wait for Nerume first?”

“Well… you can wait for her. I can go get your things.”

“I suppose.”

“Your door is unlocked, right? It doesn’t look like you have keys.”

“Yea.”

“Okay. Just sit tight. I’ll be back in like three minutes.”

Kurumu nodded as Satsuki extracted herself from Kurumu’s grip. The girl smiled, opening the door and slipping out of the stall. She shut it and her footsteps quickly carried out into the hall. She had left her mesh tote of shower things on the floor next to Kurumu’s feet.

Kurumu sighed as her abdominal section continued to tighten and twist. Nothing had cracked inside of her for some time, so she hoped the worst of this was over. Fluids oozed out of her, the occasional drip heavy enough to make a sound.

She was no longer swollen so it took no effort to empty her bladder. That did feel much better, though it did not relax these muscles that were tormenting her. She sighed, wondering if her hymen had stretched out for this occasion. It certainly would be bothersome to have all this mess gated by a tiny hole that barely tolerated her index finger.

“Kurumu! Are you in here?!”

“Asuka?”

The door of her stall swung open as the blonde stared down at her with reddened blue eyes. Her Nippon Ham Fighters gold and black jersey hung down past her thighs. The girl whimpered, stepping in and leaning over to fold Kurumu up in an awkward hug. Her chin pressed against Kurumu’s shoulder as she breathed hotly against Kurumu’s ear.

“You’re alive!”

Kurumu chuckled, though her midsection did not approve of this treatment.

“For the moment.”

“I thought she killed you. She said you ruined her life. Then the air got so cold and I was sure she would kill everyone but Ms. Hitori knocked her out. It all happened so fast. I was so scared.”

“I don’t remember it well. Tokori was holding me when I blacked out.”

Asuka nuzzled up against her, having settled down on her knees beside the toilet. Sniffling, she drew back and caressed the side of Kurumu’s cheek.

“She must have saved you. She’s part Undine and they have some ability that manipulates fluids. I don’t really understand it, but Ms. Masataka said Tokori was more skilled than she was.”

Kurumu honestly did not recall the name, but nodded anyways.

“How are you holding up?”

Asuka withdrew a hand to rub her eye as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Fine. Why do you smell like this?”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Well… I am on a toilet.”

Asuka grimaced, settling back on her haunches. She gestured at the sludge staining Kurumu’s thighs.

“That’s… what is that?”

“I don’t know. Satsuki seems to think it’s my period.”

“That is the raunchiest period I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s not like that’s a certain thing.”

“Yea… do you think it’s an infection?”

“Would an infection cause cramps?”

“I don't know. Periods do since your muscles tense up to push out unwanted stuff. Shitty process if you ask me. I usually pop some painkillers to get through the first day.”

“Does that work?”

“Hey.”

Nerume waved as she approached. Her simple black tee was stretched over the hem of her gray, baggy sweat pants. Her hair was presently unbound, though it was notably longer on the left side which she would gather up in her side ponytail.

“Morning, Nerume.”

“Morning, Kurumu. It’s… Ms. Shindou, right?”

“Yes. Shindou Asuka from class one.”

Nerume grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry. I feel like I should know with you being part of our gym class.”

Asuka giggled, standing up and leaning back against the side of the stall.

“It’s okay, Ms. Genzouyaki.”

Satsuki darted through the opening but paused upon seeing Nerume and the open stall. She held up one of the shower bottles which she had clutched to her bosom with one of Kurumu's old towels. A salmon pink towel was slung over her shoulder.

“Um… I have your shower things.”

“You know Shindou Asuka, right?”

“Of course I do. She’s my neighbor.”

Kurumu nodded, reaching over to pick up Satsuki’s mesh bag before standing up. She stumbled out of the stall as the four of them gathered about in the center of the bathroom. At the same time one of the showers cut off. The short gorgon girl slipped out of the showers with a pearl white towel wrapped about her. Holding her toiletries in a golden basket, she wandered out into the larger room. Her long hair made soft hisses as the strands cautiously avoided the floor. She flashed them a polite smile and waved as she slipped out of the room into the hall.

“I need to get my shower things.”

“Same. I’ll wake up Yuu.”

“There’s still three showers in use. Good luck with that.”

“Eh, whatever. I’ll be right back.”

As the blonde walked off, another shower stall opened up. The other gorgon girl had two black towels with one being wrapped about her hair. She had a purple wire caddy cradled in her arm as she stepped out of the shower area. She crinkled her nose as she approached, forcing a smile.

“I told you it was her!”

The girl gave them a wide berth as she kicked up into a slight jog, hurrying down the hall after her friend.

“I have to get my stuff too. It's good to see you're okay.”

Kurumu grimaced as her insides protested. She traded Satsuki's tote for her things as Nerume retreated back to the hallway. She noted Satsuki had also brought one of her bras and a loose pair of white cottons which were crumpled on top of her towel.

“Yea… I guess I'll shower then.”

Kurumu wandered into the shower area with Satsuki on her heels. She took the last stall on the left as Satsuki took the middle one beside her. She heard one of the showers behind them cut off before she hung up her towel and lingerie over the stall door and set aside her shower things on the floor. Stepping up to the nozzle, she turned on her own stream.

Another small benefit of getting up early was not having to crank the dial to the hottest setting for water that would not leave her shivering. It had been a long time since she had taken a cold shower. She knew it was a bitch to get shampoo out of her hair, doubting that would change with short hair.

“So what's with the underwear?”

“I would have brought you a uniform but you had nothing hanging up.”

She sighed, knowing this was true. She had planned to wear her uniform from yesterday, but knew her sweater and blouse had been trashed from Shirayuki's attack. Fuck it. She would wear casual clothes and change into her gym outfit right away. She started to lather up the shampoo in her wet locks.

“We can swing by my room after this. I can pad you up.”

“Pad me up?”

“For your period. I'm sure one of us has a spare uniform you can squeeze into.”

“Um… no offense but I think any blouse you might offer will be too tight.”

“You don't have to button it all the way up. The sweaters stretch, so you can pull that over. Nobody will know the difference.”

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head. She winced at another cramp, ducking her head back in the stream to rinse out the shampoo. She felt silly for not thinking about the sweater, though Satsuki was not giving her bosom enough credit. The uniform blouses Kurumu owned could not be buttoned all the way up.

“Thanks, Satsuki. It's been a rough week for me.”

“It's nothing. I'm not letting you keep anything. It's just for the day.”

“Of course.”

“Ms. Kurono?”

Kurumu paused after squeezing a dollop of bodywash into her loofa.

“Yes?”

The shower stall door on the other side of Satsuki opened as the familiar girl stepped inside.

“I thought it was you. What are you showering down here for?”

Kurumu grinned as she resumed her efforts of making a lather in her loofa.

“Morning, Kana.”

“Morning. So…”

The girl let her word trail off as she turned on her shower.

“I freaked out waking up this morning because I was bleeding. I tried to wake Moka up but you know how she is. Satsuki came to my rescue.”

“You're bleeding? Are you okay?”

“She's having her period.”

“Well… I guess I am.”

“What's wrong?”

“Kurumu has never had a period before. Somehow this is her first.”

“Wow! That is strange. I've been having mine for two years and I thought I was a late bloomer.”

“You started without me.”

Kurumu chuckled as she heard Nerume's footsteps carry over to the shower stall across from her.

“What else would we do? Why'd it take you so long to get your things?”

“Oh, I talked a little with Ms. Tonari before going to my room. Though I couldn't say much as I don't know why you were stinky.”

“You're stinky?”

“That junk coming out of her baby maker is rotten. Like rotten eggs mixed with sour milk. It was really bad if you were right next to her.”

“I did notice her inner thighs were smeared in blackish stuff. Is that normal?”

Kurumu sighed as she turned her scrubbing attention to her thighs.

“No. And I'm not entirely convinced that's a period.”

“Yea… we should check with the housemother before we leave.”

“Does anybody know her name?”

“I don't remember it.”

“She introduced herself as the housemother to me. I don't think she gave me her name.”

“Maybe she doesn't have one.”

“Maybe it was stolen from her.”

Kurumu smirked, thinking Kana watched Spirited Away too much.

“I might be running late today, Kana. You'll have to manage Moka without me.”

“Again?”

“Last shower and it's all mine!”

Asuka cackled as she bounded into a shower stall across the way.

Kurumu smiled. She still felt horrible but she felt safer around everyone. She finished up her scrubbing between her thighs, rinsing herself down. She wished the nozzle had been installed with a flexible hose, as she wanted to direct that stream more usefully.

“You don't have to. She is a big girl capable of waking herself.”

“Well… she doesn't wake up for me. I don't know how you or Tora do it.”

“You're way too quiet, Ms. Zukkutani.”

“I don't want to disturb her neighbors.”

“I am her neighbor. Most of the time I don't notice Tora or Kurumu.”

“She whispers at the door.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Kana's inability to sweet talk Moka's door to open up for her.”

Nerume giggled.

“Oh it's your first time? I promise I'll be real gentle.”

Kurumu smirked as she worked her conditioner into her hair.

“Don't worry about it. I'll take responsibility.”

“I don't get it.”

“You're a better person for not getting it. These two are twisted.”

“What happened to bringing Taijin?”

“Eh, she was taking too long to get up. We don't normally get up till a quarter to seven.”

“That's kind of late. Don’t Tobuyoku and Hanetsume get up early?”

“That's our lunch group. For breakfast it's just the two of us.”

She heard one of the stall doors open as the mystery sixth girl finished her long shower. This girl said nothing as her footsteps carried out of the shower area.

“So whom would I talk to about reapplying for the PSC?”

“I think Tora will be addressing that in her article.”

“Yea, but don't you know?”

“I haven't had a chance to read the others' articles. Not even Tsukune's.”

“Why would you want to be in the PSC?”

“It's better than Poetry Club.”

“These two are the friends of Kakeru that I had mentioned yesterday. For your birthday.”

“It's her birthday?”

“I'll be sixteen next Wednesday. Yuu is going to have this big party for me next Saturday, but we want to check out the place tomorrow. It's going to be amazing.”

“It's a full house. You can go first.”

“No, I'll wait for one of the others to open. You can go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yea.”

Kurumu had no idea whom those last two voices were. She wondered if she had let her conditioner set long enough. Supposing it did not make much difference, she ducked her head back into the stream to rinse the mix out of her locks. She loved how her hair felt, though her body still continued its dull ache. She wanted to rinse her thighs one more time.

“Would you be up for attending a birthday party, Kana?”

“If she wants me to, I could go.”

“Of course she can come. We will be meeting up around four next Saturday. Not tomorrow though.”

“Okay.”

“Asuka wants Moka to be there, so you won’t be surrounded by a bunch of unfamiliar girls.”

“Yea, I will let Kurumu know if the location changes.”

“We have seven in our club if everyone comes.”

Satisfied with her second rinse, Kurumu turned off her shower. She realized Satsuki must have done the same for hers as there was a notable change in volume.

“I'll let Yuu know.”

“I have ears. I can hear.”

“Oh, there you are.”

Kurumu chuckled as she gathered up her things. She decided against drying off, as her lingerie had quite the precarious perch atop the towel and she did not want to risk them falling on the wet floor. Gathering all of her things up in her arms, she slipped out of the stall. She favored the two girls that were waiting for an opening. One was Yuu, whom towered over the other girl with inky black hair. Her curls hung down to her pale shoulders as she clutched her dark blue towel against her slight bosom.

Satsuki promptly stepped out with her pink towel wrapped about her torso. She had her mesh tote clutched in her hand.

“We're going to be in my room, Nerume. Swing by after getting dressed.”

“Okay.”

Kurumu followed on Satsuki's heels as the two waiting girls made their way for the open showers. Kurumu noticed Satsuki's ropy tail bobbed about as the girl wandered out into the hallway. The thin layer of fur matched her sienna locks.

“Why's your tail out?”

“I like to wash it. Don't you wash yours?”

“I've never thought much about it. It's not like I can get my wings out in those stalls.”

“Yea… that would be a problem.”

“I'm surprised it wasn't busier.”

“Huh?”

“Your showers. Up on my floor it's like everyone is showering around six thirty. Hiboshi's group, the twins and Touzoku. Within a week I gave up and started with my six am start.”

“Well on our floor it's seven that's a pain. Nerume and I often have to wait for a stall to open up.”

“You two should switch to six thirty. It'd be fun to have you around for breakfast.”

Satsuki pushed open her door, setting her tote on the counter in the recess. Her room was surprisingly barren. It was much like Kurumu's room after putting her bedding away, though without the familiar aroma of sex.

“I wouldn't mind that, but Nerume tries to match up with Kakeru. They always beat us to the dining hall.”

Satsuki wandered over to her closet, opening it up. She fumbled about in some drawers, pulling out a pink package. She held her hand out to Kurumu.

“Hand me those panties.”

Kurumu nodded, setting her bra aside in the recess before giving Satsuki her panties. As she started to towel herself dry, Satsuki tore open the pink package and unfolded a white cushion. She pressed the cushion against the inside bottom of the white panties. The girl handed the panties back, the cushion sticking to the fabric.

“Okay, slip these on.”

Kurumu smirked. She bent down to towel off her legs. Not wanting to soil the towel, she padded her inner thighs and crotch so it was not dripping. She could still feel the dull ache but that annoying trickle sensation had passed some time ago during the shower. Slinging her towel over her shoulder, she took the panties and stepped into them. She smiled as she tugged them up, snapping the worn elastic band upon her hip.

“Centuries of human invention and the solution for periods is shove a wad of cotton in your underwear.”

“They have medical treatments.”

Satsuki fetched a cyan bra and a pair of white and cyan striped panties from her closet.

“What sort of treatments?”

“I don't know. Pills and shots. Stuff that fools a human body into thinking it’s pregnant.”

“Would it work on you?”

“My mother would die if I did anything that might make me sterile. Maybe when I'm older and have money of my own, I'll look into it.”

Kurumu clasped up her bra in the front. Her crotch felt weird. She hoped she could walk normal enough with this thing as she did not want to talk about this to Tsukune or any other boy.

“Do you have these things often?”

Satsuki shrugged as she pulled up a pair of khakis.

“Maybe every other month. Sometimes once in three.”

“Do you own a school skirt?”

Satsuki smirked as she fastened the khakis. She fetched a long sleeved blouse from her closet.

“My mother bought three, but I only wear them when I feel like my slacks are too dirty to wear again.”

“Yea… I only had enough to get me through five days of school but I keep running into trouble. My stuff gets ruined and I end up wearing stuff twice because I can't find the time to do laundry in the middle of the week, especially with those sessions with Ms. Kagome that robs me of my weeknights.”

“I have six blouses, three skirts, three slacks, three jackets and three sweaters. I've never bothered with the sweaters so I don't care if you keep one.”

“I thought you said it was just for the day.”

Satsuki buttoned up the blouse methodically, leaving the top one open. She pulled another blouse off a hanger and chucked it at Kurumu.

“I was thinking of this blouse I'm lending you. I want that back.”

Kurumu smiled, turning the garment over in her hands. She shook it out and slipped her arms into the sleeves. The blouse was surprisingly the same size as hers. She still could not fasten the last four buttons which hardly mattered when she pulled the sweater over.

“We will have to go back to your room.”

Kurumu nodded, aware that she needed her keys, card and schoolbag. Satsuki smoothed out the green jacket she had slipped into. Satisfied, the girl pulled a sweater and skirt out of her closet, handing them over to Kurumu.

“Your boobs are ridiculous.”

Kurumu smirked as she took the sweater and promptly pulled it over her torso. She tugged it down and straightened it. Reaching into the hem, she tugged the collar of the blouse out so it would look proper.

“I went from an A to an F in three months.”

“That's possible?”

“I guess that's normal for a succubus. The tail, wings and breasts were a package deal.”

“You know… if things happen fast like that, it might be normal for your hymen to suddenly be that wide.”

“I… well, that might be true.”

“Like your body has decided the baby factory is open for business.”

Kurumu sighed as she stepped in the skirt and pulled it about her waist. These things were adjustable so it was not an issue at all to get around her shapely hips. She tightened it up, tucking her blouse in the hem and pulling the sweater over to hide the sloppy tuck.

“How are you feeling?”

“I guess I'm okay. Body hates me right now, but I'm not dripping all over the place.”

Satsuki nodded, reaching back into her closet to pull out three more pink packages.

“You'll need to change that now and then. I like to do it every time I pee, but that's not some rule. Just make sure to do it before it stains through your panties.”

“Good to know.”

“You get used to it. In a day or two, you won't even notice them. Kind of like thongs.”

“You own a thong?”

“I did for a short while.”

“Oh, what happened?”

Satsuki grimaced.

“Let's just say I will never wear something like that while visiting my parents ever again.”

Kurumu chuckled, guessing the ownership of these thongs had not been with a parent's permission.

“What time is it?”

Satsuki passed by her, picking up the clock that was plugged into the outlet mounted by the recess. It was seven to seven. Having answered her own question, Satsuki picked up her keys and card, slipping both into her pocket. She reached under the recess to fetch her schoolbag, hanging it across her torso. She pulled open the door and gestured for Kurumu to exit.

“What about Nerume?”

“We can go to her. No point sticking around in my room.”

Kurumu wandered out, watching as Satsuki pulled the door shut behind her. The girl gestured down the hall before taking off at a steady pace. With a smile, Kurumu followed.

“You didn't have much in your room.”

“Neither do you.”

“Yea… I was curious why not.”

“No point bringing the things I had at home.”

“What about music, movies or books?”

“I have a few things in my closet that I bought for myself. But you know how it is. It's not like a junior high student has a steady influx of cash to buy the things you want.”

“Your parents didn't buy you anything?”

“It was established a long time ago that big brother had priority.”

Satsuki casually touched Kurumu's tit as they passed by the bathroom.

“What about you? You're an only child. How did you end up with a barren bedroom?”

“I… I just have a hard time asking my mother for anything.”

“Oh yea, that's right. You did say you were from a single parent family.”

“Yea…”

“Money is tight in my family too. I'm not going to ask for things when I know he needs it more. Coming to Yokai is probably the biggest burden I've put on them, since I could have stayed at home for the other high school. If Auntie wasn't here, I doubt they would have agreed to it.”

Kurumu nodded, having not given much thought about Sankei High being cheaper for her mother. She had not wanted to spend another year in Kengamine. It was Yokai or a human high school, and it had been way too late for her to take an entrance exam. She sighed as they came to a stop at room 524.

“Yea… I'm pretty sure Yokai was more expensive for my mother, but she made it sound better.”

Satsuki knocked on the door, favoring her with a smile.

“You know, you can keep it. The blouse too. It's fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don't wear the skirts or the sweaters, and I can always ask Auntie to pick me up another blouse. I'm sure she wouldn't mind buying me school stuff if I ask.”

Nerume pulled open the door. The girl was fully dressed with her green jacket. Her schoolbag was slung over her shoulder and she was pulling a bright yellow brush with white bristles through her long tresses. She had a white elastic band wrapped about her wrist which she would fasten in her hair for her tail.

“Sorry. My hair takes so long.”

“You can brush while we walk. We have to head up to Kurumu's room to get her things.”

“Okay.”

They started back down the hall, hearing the door close as Nerume followed a couple steps behind them. Kurumu smiled as Kana slipped out of her room. The blonde wandered over to Moka's door, oblivious to their presence though they were only a few footsteps behind.

“So what's the plan with speaking with the housemother?”

“Huh?”

“Like what do you plan to do? There's pretty much three answers she's going to give. Either you came home with someone, came home alone or she did not see anything. What's your response?”

Kana glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

“Well… I guess I should go to the hospital. You know. Make sure this is normal and that I'm not about to die from some horrible internal injury.”

“You don't seem to be dying right now.”

“It still hurts, but I'm not as scared when I'm talking with you guys. Like if something happens, I know you'll do something about it.”

“Yea, I'm pretty sure there are dumpsters behind the dining hall if we have to dispose of you.”

Kana paused as she reached Moka's door, frowning.

“She's not serious?”

“Of course she's not. She was crying like a baby when Nerume went missing.”

They all paused in the space near the elevator lobby. Kana softly knocked on Moka's door, but her attention was on them. Satsuki rubbed the back of her neck.

“Well yea. Nerume is like my anchor in this nuthouse.”

“What about your Aunt, Ms. Nekonome?”

“I don't really know my Aunt.”

“Her Aunt is Ms. Nekonome?”

“Mhm.”

“That's cool.”

Kana knocked on Moka's door.

“Moka, get up! Kana's taking you to school and is too polite to yell at you.”

Satsuki giggled, nodding to the stairway door.

“We should head up to your room.”

Nerume grinned, tying up her hair. Her brush must have been stowed away in her schoolbag.

“Should we come back for her?”

“The thought that I could get to school before her is crazy considering how crappy my morning started.”

“Moka, I'm here. Please wake up.”

Kurumu smiled and headed for the stairs. She reached the door, holding it open for the other two. After the two passed through the doorway, they started up the stairs in unison.

“So what do you want to speak with the housemother for?”

“Kurumu is convinced she was raped last night.”

“Wait. I thought she was upset about this being her first period.”

“She seems to think her kind doesn't have periods and that this is the result of some evil creature trying to impregnate her.”

“Well… that wasn't like any blood I've ever seen before. It didn't smell right.”

“There's also the matter that my hymen was broken.”

“Not this again.”

“I'm serious.”

“Three fingers does not mean it's broken. Your body is probably reacting to your period.”

“I broke mine with a carrot.”

“Oh my god, Nerume. I did not need to know that.”

“What? It's not that big of a deal.”

“It kind of is if some stranger raped me last night.”

“Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I meant breaking your hymen doesn't mean anything. It's not like a carrot took away my virginity. The two things are unrelated.”

Kurumu paused as they reached the sixth floor landing. She pulled the door open, feeling like that did make things a little better.

“Are you sure you didn't break it with your rough dream sex with Tsukune?”

Satsuki smirked.

“That wasn't real sex, you idiot.”

“It might have physical repercussions.”

Kurumu sighed as they crossed the landing and headed towards her room. She saw that her door was still resting on its deadbolt.

“It would be nice if that was true, but I know it wasn't broken two days ago.”

“You don't know it's broken now.”

“Maybe you got carried away while playing with yourself?”

“Why on earth would you use a carrot?”

“I don't know. I was curious and it was big and thick.”

“I don't need you to describe it.”

“It's a carrot. There's nothing to describe.”

Kurumu chuckled as she pushed into her room. All of her needed things had been set aside in the recess. She grabbed up her watch, fixing it about her wrist. She then tied her ribbon about her wrist below the watch. Grabbing up her keys and card, she hauled her schoolbag up on her shoulder. She must have tied her laces of her shoes about the strap last night. It always amazed her how she managed to do some of these things in her dazed state.

Kurumu smiled as she walked back out into the hall. Satsuki was flush and Nerume was impassive.

“You two going to be cool with attending Asuka's birthday party. She's thinking about having it at the bowling alley if the place is big enough for us.”

“Sure. She seems nice.”

“I'll go, but you might have to keep her away from the bowling pins.”

Nerume rolled her eyes.

“I wouldn't use a bowling pin. That's gross.”

“And a carrot isn't?”

“I like carrots. It didn't even taste different.”

Satsuki grimaced as they headed back to the elevator lobby.

“You're bluffing. There’s no way you would eat it after doing that.”

“What else would I do with it? I'm not going to leave it out for someone else to eat.”

“You could throw it away.”

Nerume sighed, shaking her head.

“I know you are cool with this plan of finding a boyfriend for high school and throwing him aside when you've had your fun, but I just can't do that.”

“Okay, this is a horrible comparison. I know you are trying to be cute but I'm never going to eat my theoretical boyfriend before I graduate. I'm the one more likely to end up eaten.”

Nerume smirked as she pressed the button to call the elevator.

“My sister says that’s quite enjoyable.”

* * *

As fourth period steadily approached its conclusion, Kurumu tried to keep herself distracted from these annoying cramps that randomly assaulted her. She had easily taken more notes today than any other day. She wondered if there was documentation that proved pain increased student productivity, which might explain why the seats to desks were so damn uncomfortable.

Not that this was an inconvenience to Nerume. That girl could probably sleep upright stuffed in a locker. By now the teachers had given up on keeping Nerume attentive. She imagined they might start cracking down next week before midterms were upon them.

Before leaving for breakfast, they had confirmed with the housemother that Ms. Kagome had personally dropped her off last night. That had eased a lot of her concerns, as she could not quite fathom how Ms. Kagome could have been responsible for her body’s state of distress. Her worries for Ms. Kagome were much different, as in whether or not the poor woman was messed in the head. What other reason could there be for her teacher to randomly start making out with her in the infirmary? Naturally she had kept that to herself, figuring she had reached her quota of outlandish news for the week.

Ms. Kagome had been withdrawn during her lecture today. Several times she had trailed off during an explanation and had to be prompted by Tora to continue. The boys had chuckled after the third time, which caused Ms. Kagome to apologize over her absent mindedness. She had concluded her lecture a whole ten minutes before the bell, letting them finish the worksheet she had passed around at the start of the class.

Kurumu had taken advantage of the long break to use the restroom and change out her pad. She had no idea if she had to, but it did stink something foul. It made her hope that nobody around her had a strong sense of smell or lacked the common decency to keep quiet about their discovery. She wished she had some sort of crotch freshener. Did that exist?

Tsukune was in the same state as he was yesterday. Nerume had admitted that yesterday’s session with Ms. Kagome had just been the two of them. Around the end of the lesson, Ms. Kagome had sent her to the infirmary to check on Kurumu. The doors had been locked when she came back, so she had called out to the teacher, whom promptly asked her to wait a few more minutes. After some time passed, the teacher had emerged with a docile Tsukune, instructing Nerume to take good care of him.

They had actually made it to the dining hall before Kana and Moka this morning, so they had waved for the two to join them. It was during this mild exchange that Kurumu had recognized how different Nerume was around girls she addressed by surnames. She was much more polite and reserved. Satsuki by comparison was as blunt and straight forward as she always was. It had Kurumu wonder if she was a different person to different people and if that was a bad thing.

Moka was notably upset about Tsukune’s inability to interact with them. She had not been able to give her study guide at all and had been so distracted by this that she had not realized Kurumu had been hurt until the end of school. Ginei had taken the club over to visit her in the infirmary, sending Moka to the dorms to fetch that change of clothes while the rest of them had put the finishing touches on their articles. They had even acquired the photos from Kamitsuku, allowing them to complete her choir piece.

The bell concluded the hour as Mr. Nagamushi vainly attempted to continue his lecture. Not caring to bother with lunch today, considering how rough it had been digesting her breakfast with her body doing this thing, Kurumu planned to spend her lunch hour chatting with Yukari. She wanted to hear Yukari’s thoughts about Ms. Kagome kissing her and about her body finally having a period.

“You should go with Tora.”

Moka frowned as Kurumu got up from her desk.

“But what about Tsukune?”

“No, I meant with Tsukune. It’s probably better if you’re both with him.”

“I’ll try but she’s supposed to eat her lunch with the PSC. I don’t think they’d appreciate the intrusion.”

“Well I’m going to be with Yukari.”

“It’ll be fine. I have him.”

Kurumu bent over and kissed the side of Moka’s head. The simple act caught the attention of a couple boys, whom instantly burned with desire at the image. Kurumu grinned at the distressed vampire.

“Pass that along to Tsukune for me. Maybe it’ll snap him out of that.”

Moka blushed hotly.

“I’m not doing that!”

Kurumu chuckled as she walked away, pointing at Burumoto to keep his distance. She really did not want her head messed with right now. Tamaishi chuckled as she walked by him, making her way to the open back door. She stepped into the hallway, noting the bustle as the first years hurried down the stairs to take their places in the long line forming in the hallway below.

It was only a couple steps to slip through the back door of class two, but she had to stand aside to allow two large boys to pass. One was Yano from the soccer group. The other was a tall boy with a mess of black curls. Neither boy seemed to notice her as they passed.

“Think she really did it?”

“Of course she did. She’s an evil witch itching for a reason to kill someone.”

“Yea, but to obliterate someone for bumping into her is excessive.”

“Everybody heard it. She snuffed them in the middle of lunch. Just like that.”

Yano snapped his thick fingers as the two boys continued down the hall. Kurumu smirked, aware that the story of Yukari’s cruelty had been spreading around for most the week. She shook her head, amused as she slipped in through the back and walked up the first aisle. Most of the students had left by now, so it was pretty easy to get to Yukari, whom was sitting in the center desk of the front row.

“Hey!”

Kurumu paused, turning to wave at Satsuki, whom had been making her way to the front door. The girl stopped at the end of the aisle, placing a hand on Kurumu’s shoulder.

“You feeling fine?”

“As good as can be expected.”

“What are you in here for?”

“I don’t feel like I could stomach food right now. I’m going to pass the time with Yukari.”

“Oh. Well good luck with that.”

“You can always join us if you want.”

Satsuki shrugged.

“I don’t. Bye.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Bye.”

She watched Satsuki retreat out the front of the class. She walked across the front row by the witch, whom was picking at her lunch which was packed in a lime green bento with a shaggy wolf howling at the white, crescent moon. Aware that the desk on Yukari’s right was vacant, Kurumu grabbed the desk and scooted it over to touch Yukari’s. The witch glanced up, stowing a morsel of sausage in her mouth. She chewed absently, watching Kurumu sit down.

“Are you ever going to correct them about those rumors?”

“Which one?”

“All of them.”

“Why bother? The one about Hiboshi seems to be fixing itself.”

“That’s because Hiboshi is denying this story about you turning her into a child. There’s still quite a few that think she’s too prideful to admit the truth.”

“Those nonbelievers would be suspicious no matter what I say.”

“Just tell the truth.”

“The truth is whatever the majority believes. Right now it appears that I’m capable of making a girl disappear so well that it completely wipes the record of her ever existing.”

Kurumu sighed.

“You know that’s not true.”

“It could be. I’m certainly thinking about a specific girl that would make a lot of people relieved if she were to disappear.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yukari stared at her coldly.

“If she even thinks of hurting you again, she won’t get another chance.”

Kurumu swallowed.

“That was a mistake. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No.”

“She wasn’t trying to kill me.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yukari. Because of me, word got around about what she did to Coach Kotsubo.”

“Did you lie?”

“No… but I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Yukari sighed. A slight smile crossed her thin lips.

“It’s okay. With my powers I can blink her out of existence and nobody will remember a thing. Everybody would be happy.”

“I wouldn’t be happy.”

“Of course you would. Remember the all-powerful Yukari would make it so you wouldn’t remember her.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I find it hilarious.”

Kurumu sighed again, shaking her head.

“You need to stop terrorizing your classmates.”

“I don’t see why I should be responsible for their paranoia.”

“That’s like me saying I’m not responsible to educate you on how my charm works.”

“No it’s not. You don’t understand half the things about being a succubus. I’ve witnessed this. There’s no way I’m going to accept some blanket statement that you wholly understand your charm.”

Kurumu groaned as her abdomen seized up. She was not in the mood to argue.

“Fine. What would appease your suspicions?”

Yukari picked at her food having finished off most of the main course prior to Kurumu’s arrival.

“Hmm… my biggest concern is that your charm is not sight based and that you only think it is. That this belief of yours is suppressing your true potential.”

“If I’m suppressing my powers, does it matter?”

“Of course it matters. Those barriers you created might not always stay in place. Subconsciously you could bypass them to get what you want and not even know you are doing it.”

“But what can I do? If I’m suppressing my powers, I’m going to pass any test you throw at me.”

“That is the dilemma.”

Yukari sighed, fixing her hat which had shifted too much to her left side.

“You look pale.”

“Hmm?”

“Pale.”

“Oh. My body is upset with me.”

“What did you do this time?”

“The others seem to think I’m having a period but I don’t know if I’m supposed to have them.”

Yukari giggled.

“I see. So you’ve finally matured into an adult.”

“You’re the one that needs to mature.”

“The only thing that’s ever been mature about you is your useless breasts.”

“They’re not useless. They’re soft and make good pillows.”

“That’s not what men want. All that matters is if they’re sensitive. I guarantee no man would ever feel unsatisfied playing with my cupcakes.”

“Did you just call your tits cupcakes?”

Yukari shrugged, setting her chopsticks inside the empty large compartment.

“So… it’s bad enough that you’re avoiding lunch.”

“Yea.”

“I see you’ve left Tsukune with Moka again.”

“What else could I do? Ms. Kagome is messing with his head so somebody has to keep watch over him.”

“That sounds like it should be your duty, since you claim to be his girlfriend.”

“Yea, well, I think he’s been put in that state because he’s my boyfriend. Ms. Kagome kissed me last night in the infirmary before escorting me home.”

“What?”

“I think she might have slowly become addicted to me.”

“We need to talk with Ms. Sasayaki.”

“Yea, I was thinking I should this weekend.”

“No, we need to talk with her now.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Why?”

“I was concerned about hosting under the premise that she might be infatuated with Tsukune. But she might also do it if she’s infatuated with you.”

“What is hosting?”

“Having her child.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. You said she was open to the idea of you having a child with Tsukune. Even if she’s in love with you, she still needs a father to have a child with you.”

“That’s insane.”

“That’s why we need to handle this right now. We need her to stop contact with you and Tsukune. I don’t know how they will go about doing that, but we need Ms. Sasayaki on our side for this to happen.”

Kurumu nodded, not fully understanding how she could have another woman’s child but agreeing that these awkward interactions with Ms. Kagome had to stop. It would be nice to not feel obligated to lose half her club hour every weekday for lessons that were barely having any impact on her algebra prowess.

Yukari stood up from her desk, wiping down her cloak. She touched the shiny red broach that held the cloak together at her sternum. She brought those three fingers over to touch her desk, causing an audible hum for a moment. The witch gestured to her before starting for the front door of the class.

Kurumu regarded the desk as she moved to follow. She resisted the urge to touch Yukari’s desk, having this feeling that it would hurt. She quickened her step to catch up with the witch before they walked out of the classroom.

“So what do we say?”

“It’s best to be upfront.”

Kurumu glanced about the hall as they walked by class one.

“But… are we sure she’s doing that?”

“Irrelevant. Her behavior warrants the accusation.”

“She’ll deny it.”

“Of course. But she can be tested for your drug. If that comes back positive, she will be asked to resign.”

“I don’t want that!”

“What do you want?”

“I… she needs to stop. That’s all.”

“This is an addiction we are talking about. It’s not something she could stop on command.”

“But she doesn’t behave like he did. It’s… different.”

“How the faculty handles this is up to them.”

They reached the end of the hall and turned left towards the main entrance. She knew Yukari was right. All they could do was voice their concerns and put an end to Ms. Kagome’s meddling. She sighed, hoping that this would not result in the dismissal of Ms. Kagome. Even though her lessons were annoying, Ms. Kagome was more involved than any other teacher had been in Kurumu’s life.

“I heard you wrote an article.”

“I wrote a masterpiece.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You should keep a copy of this newspaper. I’ll be sure to autograph it for you.”

“Let me read it first.”

“I doubt your simple mind could appreciate the depths of a literary work. You probably could not name a single influential author of our time.”

“I wasn’t aware that you read books.”

“My family is selective about what they own. My Grandfather has a wealth of documents devoted to scientific research, both human and monster.”

“That’s like admitting to owning a set of encyclopedias.”

“We have those, but he also owns a lot of classical literature, including the four greats from China and the Tale of Genji.”

“Okay… none of that would be from our time.”

“True. I suppose my favorite piece from Lord Souseki also predates our era. It was unlike anything else I have read.”

“I don’t know that name either.”

“After my experiment in transformation, Mother bought me a copy of I am Cat. She felt I should start reading more fiction to broaden my understanding of other people.”

“Clearly you haven’t read enough.”

“The concept is misguided. Fiction is fake and meant for entertainment, no different than Nana. People do not interact in such dramatic fashion.”

“You just threatened to eliminate Shirayuki. That’s dramatic.”

“That’s factual.”

Kurumu shook her head as they reached the main foyer. She angled over towards the winding stair, reaching for the railing. Grabbing the polished, black wood, she started down the stairs.

“My mother didn’t own any books. The only ones I read were the required reading from my elementary school days. I’m sure none of those would be literary masterpieces.”

“You should set aside some time to speak with Ms. Bakudai, the librarian. She has been modernizing the library with more human works since she was hired on six years ago.”

“Have you read anything?”

“I spend a lot of time in the library, as the school hasn’t pushed me to attend gym. Those first weeks I read Lord Souseki’s other works, Kokoro and Botchan. Ms. Bakudai keeps insisting that I read A Personal Matter, by Lord Oe, whom I understand is one of our modern greats. She has so many recommendations and I have only so much free time.”

Kurumu smirked as they neared the bottom of the stairs.

“But you made time for Nana.”

“That was fun. Someone like you whom would tire of lengthy passages of description would appreciate the simplicity of dialogue interactions.”

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kurumu headed to the nearest door of the teachers’ lounge. She had no real interest visiting the library again. While the bespectacled librarian was quiet and shy, Kurumu had felt uneasy around the woman. It was that feeling that she did not belong.

Kurumu rubbed a hand against her lower stomach, hoping that would ease the dull ache that persisted. She slid open the door to the lounge, stepping inside. There were three aisles that ran down the length of the lounge. Partition walls were built up to shoulder height to divide the tiny workspaces. Kurumu wandered across the room to the last aisle reserved for the first year teachers.

Ms. Sasayaki was seated at the second station on their left against the outer wall. The science teacher wore a pink blouse with the long sleeves drawn back to bare her elbows. Her right leg was drawn over the other, the black slacks hanging loosely about her ankles. Her cream flats had tan soles with a rounded front.

Across from the long, black haired teacher was Ms. Kagome. The math teacher had a white blouse beneath her navy blue jacket. The blouse was tucked into a matching navy blue pencil skirt. Ms. Kagome had a white towel draped across her lap, upon which rested an open black bento. She smiled at Ms. Sasayaki as she gestured to the woman with her chopsticks.

Ms. Nekonome and Ms. Sunao were seated in the next two stations. Ms. Sunao, whom was closest to Ms. Sasayaki, had her back to the group as she worked on a small laptop. Her white bento to the left of the laptop was unopened. Her attention was fixed on the screen.

Ms. Nekonome was eating straight from a can of sardines. Dressed in her cream blouse with the poofy short sleeves, she had her chair spun about to interact with the others. Her long denim skirt ended at her ankles. Her ears perked up as she first took notice of Kurumu’s presence.

“Ms. Kurono! What brings you here?”

It was not that surprising for the teachers to be gathered like this. During the Ishigami incident, Kurumu had learned about the arrangement of the workstations. She had known that the science teachers had the first three desks in each row, followed by the twelve homeroom teachers. The last five stations in each aisle were for the electives.

“I was hoping to have a word alone with Ms. Sasayaki.”

The science teacher turned her rich brown eyes upon Kurumu. Although she was chewing on a yakisoba sandwich, it did not impair her ability to speak with her second, sibilant voice. Her long raven tresses moved slightly as she spoke.

“I can spare some time after my last class, though it would have to be brief. I’m sure you also don’t want to be late for your seventh period.”

“Are you wanting more tests done?”

Ms. Kagome smiled at Ms. Nekonome’s inquiry.

“That would only be natural. I can understand how difficult it is when there is so little documented about your species.”

“Ririko here was my first attempt to continue Lord Sendou’s cause. It was my only collaborative work with your grandfather before his retirement.”

“If you can call his bitter guidance collaboration.”

“He was the reason why we were able to publish our findings.”

“Are you aware that Ms. Kagome has kissed Kurumu?”

As Kurumu blushed at Yukari’s audacity, both of the engaged teachers regarded Ms. Kagome.

“Is that true?”

Ms. Kagome sighed, resting her chopsticks in her lap.

“I was overly emotional last night when she woke up. It’s nothing.”

“This is why I wanted you to stay with her, Shizuka. Ms. Kurono is your student.”

“But I couldn’t. Thursday nights are the only nights Fresh from the Coast has discounted prices. You know that new stock comes in on Fridays for the weekend.”

“It was just a couple kisses. There’s no need to worry.”

Yukari huffed, crossing her arms about her chest.

“A teacher should not behave so shamelessly with a student.”

“There’s nothing wrong with showing some affection for the students you work the most with.”

“I’ve told you about being cautious around Ms. Kurono. I can’t guarantee that her opiate is negated by your tears. I didn’t have enough samples to run those tests.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been with her for weeks.”

“How would you describe those kisses, Kurumu? Were they mouth to mouth?”

Kurumu felt uncomfortable, aware that Ms. Sunao had taken interest in the conversation. The barricades between the stations were too high to alert them to the attention of any other eavesdroppers.

“I… it was deep. You know… like deep.”

“Tongue on tongue?”

Kurumu nodded at Yukari’s curt inquiry.

“Okay, I can explain.”

“I want you to stop by the hospital this weekend for some tests.”

“Everything is fine. I mixed in some tears, so her body wouldn’t react to the aphrodisiac.”

“Ririko, hon, you can’t do this.”

Ms. Nekonome sighed.

“I’ve also noticed Mr. Aono has been acting strange these past two days. Ms. Nazohashi mentioned you were subjecting him to your special lessons.”

“He’s falling behind in class. It’s too close to midterms. I’m having a session for all the students I felt needed the help. Ms. Genzouyaki has attended both sessions with Mr. Aono.”

“But it’s only my homeroom.”

“I was going to extend it to my other three classes next week. I was using your homeroom as a test.”

Ms. Sasayaki took another bite as her sibilant voice sighed.

“You’re not doing that again, are you? You know that’s cheating.”

“It’s never been officially deemed as such.”

“You may as well take the test for them. When they recover, they don’t remember anything.”

“Only because I lack experience using this ability. With more exposure and practice, I’m certain I can make permanent changes. My progress with Ms. Kurono proves that consistent treatments accelerate her learning potential without the awkward side effects.”

“Side effects?”

“Ririko has been trying this since she started her teaching career at Yokai four years ago. Her subjects always end up fawning over her. It’s rather scandalous.”

“It’s not my goal to have fifteen year old boys worship my existence.”

She smiled slightly.

“Though it is kind of nice.”

“I thought you said you have known Ms. Sasayaki for more than a decade.”

Ms. Nekonome perked up.

“Ririko was in my first homeroom class when I started teaching. I introduced her to Gusuriko.”

“Oh. I assumed you were all much closer in age.”

Ms. Nekonome pouted.

“I guess that’s a compliment for me?”

Ms. Kagome smirked.

“Or an insult to me.”

Ms. Sasayaki finished her sandwich, wiping her hands on a napkin.

“I think you should wait until after your test results before continuing any lessons with your students.”

“Why?”

“Because we may have to switch you around with Ms. Iwasaki.”

“The Headmaster isn’t going to do that.”

“He might if we have good reason to. You’ve been wanting to get out of first year math since you started. Everyone knows Ms. Iwasaki hates dealing with the third years.”

“But I really want to keep up my experiment with Ms. Kurono. You understand that, right? She’s precious to me.”

“That’s precisely the problem.”

“Are you protesting because you want to use Kurumu as a host?”

“Of course not! That’s a horrible thing to accuse of me!”

Ms. Sasayaki held a hand up.

“Let’s focus on having her tested and work from there. There’s no reason to start throwing out wild claims like that.”

“I felt it was a reasonable concern if she is addicted to Kurumu.”

Ms. Kagome sighed heavily, shaking her head. She set her bento aside on her desk, folding up the towel and placing it atop the unfinished lunch.

“Where is Mr. Aono?”

“I left him in Moka’s care.”

“Oh, you silly girl. Why do you keep doing this to yourself?”

“Your lessons have him all messed up.”

“You should be caring for him instead of thrusting that responsibility on a rival for his affection.”

“I think you should stay out of the love affairs of students.”

Ms. Kagome glanced over at the science teacher.

“You have no right to lecture me on that.”

“Well… I do have experience on the pitfalls of doing that.”

Ms. Kagome got up from her chair.

“I will take your silly tests this weekend and prove that I am fine and that we can all continue doing things as we see fit. Fair enough?”

“Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom. Do I need my hand held for that?”

Ms. Nekonome chuckled before slurping down a sardine.

“I’m serious, Ririko. Hold off on those lessons for now.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Ms. Kagome huffed, walking between them. She was shaking her head as she made her way to the door.

“Do you think she’s okay?”

“Make sure she leaves right after school. She doesn’t have a club and I know you don’t watch over yours.”

Ms. Nekonome shrugged as she held another sardine in her chopsticks.

“Mr. Morioka and Ms. Nazohashi have the club running so smoothly that there’s not much for me to do. It’s almost like having Ms. Otonashi back in charge.”

“Bring her to the hospital. I want to test her tonight.”

“Sure. I’ll bring her after getting her liquored up. She’s much more agreeable like that.”

Ms. Sasayaki grinned, turning her attention back to them.

“Was there anything else you girls wanted to discuss with me?”

Kurumu nodded, knowing she had barely participated in this awkward exchange. She supposed that was normal since this had been a discussion between adults. Her body had ached throughout most of the conversation so she had preferred keeping quiet.

“I did want to do some tests in the hospital. It seems I might have started my period.”

“Fascinating. I would like to take a look at that.”

“I just wanted to confirm having this period was normal.”

Ms. Nekonome gestured at her with chopsticks as she swallowed down her mouthful. She brought her hand back to rub her chest as she took in a deep breath.

“I can’t say if that’s normal, but Ageha never admitted to having a period.”

“Are you sure?”

“We were only in the same homeroom that first year, but she acted like it was a foreign concept. If she had them later on, she never told me about it.”

“I think we should do a pelvic exam and get some x-rays. I’m really curious about how your reproduction system works.”

“I… sure. When do you want to do this?”

“That’s mostly up to you. It’s not like I have a full schedule. We’re on call, so I would drop what I’m doing with you regardless of if you had made an appointment or not.”

“Okay. I don’t have anything planned before my article shoot at two in the afternoon tomorrow. Would you be available for something around nine?”

“Of course. Hopefully I will have some news about Ririko, since I’m sure this has troubled you.”

“Yea… we’ll be going then.”

“Hold up.”

Ms. Nekonome wagged a sardine at them.

“I know I said that your mothers fought a bit over your father, but they never hurt each other that bad. I’m not sure what is happening between Ms. Shirayuki and you, but I really think you should try harder to make things work out.”

Yukari huffed.

“She tried to kill her.”

“I know, but… it’s just sad. Despite all the grief Ageha caused Tsurara, they were close. I was hoping the two of you would simply become friends naturally, but I understand if you don’t want to try.”

“How is she?”

“Ms. Shirayuki? I imagine she is sitting in her room. Ms. Nazohashi told me that she has no friends.”

“I didn’t want things to turn out like that.”

“It can’t be helped. She’s a young girl with a pressing burden to marry and have children before the age of twenty. If Kentou had not come to school with her, I’m sure she would have felt as desperate as her daughter to find someone to avoid arranged marriage.”

“But I understood that was an arranged marriage.”

Ms. Nekonome smiled softly.

“In any case, I hope she has calmed down and can pass her midterms. I would be so sad if Tsurara’s little girl was expelled while under my watch.”

Kurumu smiled. She knew she would feel horrible if Shirayuki was expelled.

“I will try to make things easier on her if I can.”

Yukari sighed, shaking her head.

“You are so hopeless. Let’s go before you promise to drink poison or something.”

Kurumu chuckled, certain she would never do that.

* * *

“Stand. Bow. Dismissed.”

The dazed Tsukune did not return to his seat. He shuffled out into the aisle and walked towards the front of the class. He somehow managed to get by the massive Hedoyami, whose folds of chubby flesh spilled out into the aisle.

“Tsukune! Wait!”

Burumoto chuckled as he stood up, barring the vampire’s path to follow.

“Can’t you let the man be? Only reason he’d head that way is to use the bathroom.”

Kurumu smiled, grabbing Moka by the wrist and tugging her. The vampire frowned but Kurumu nodded in the direction of the small locker in the back corner of the classroom. She had seen the board after coming back to class when lunch had ended. It was their turn for classroom duties.

“Can you keep him company, Ushio?”

Burumoto snorted, slinging his schoolbag up onto his shoulder.

“You might be cute, Kurumu, but I'm not holding another man's dick for you.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue at him as Moka blushed and Tamaishi chuckled loudly. Several other boys in earshot were snickering as she opened up the locker to fetch the broom.

Not much had happened since the discussion at lunch. She had wisely stayed out of Izanai's way during science lab, only helping when he prompted her to. Things worked smoothly and their experiment had proceeded exactly how it was supposed to. She sort of understood what they had done. Well, not really. She had no fucking clue but she was getting a good grade which was all that mattered.

Everyone had fawned over her in home economics. Girls she had not spoken much with had stopped by to chat about her hair and her brave act to prove Coach Kotsubo's innocence. It seemed that Shirayuki's attack on her had been the last bit of proof the rumor mill needed to decide whom was the victim, and whom was the villain. Every attempt she tried to shift some of that guilt upon herself resulted in failure. Nobody was willing to give Shirayuki a pardon.

Tokori had been kind enough to explain the futility of her approach. She could not become an apologetic villain. People wanted to believe in mustache twirling, sinister villains that stole candy from babies. Shirayuki was reclusive and barely known. It was easy to sell a bad story about her personality when her public reputation involved attacking a teacher and a classmate.

It was usually best to wait a little before sweeping. She watched as Tora walked over to the board to start cleaning it for them. The class rep was chatting amicably with Kamitsuku as she made quick work of the notes scrawled upon the board about some of the contributions Tanuki had made in the human world.

Kurumu glanced over to Moka's desk, noting the vampire still had that study guide. She sighed. Moka had complained during gym about bumping into Ms. Kagome again with similar results to the last time. She had assured the vampire that things would change for the better, since Ms. Kagome would have to stop those lessons soon and Tsukune would return to being normal.

“Did you forget how to work that thing?”

Kurumu snorted, ignoring Takurami as the boy wandered off towards the back door with his unpleasant demeanor. Figuring that enough of the students had left, Kurumu wandered over to Burumoto's vacant desk to casually brush the debris towards the back of the class. Moka lingered in the back row, holding the dust pan.

“Hey, Moka. What do you plan to do when you grow up?”

“Hmm?”

“What career? What type of job?”

“I haven't thought about that.”

“Why not? You're one of the top students in our class.”

“Getting top grades is my duty. It would bring shame to my family if I was not among the best.”

Kurumu sighed as she reached the end of the aisle. She walked around her desk up to Ikazuchi's vacant seat before brushing the debris back in this aisle.

“It's no big deal if an idiot like me doesn't have a plan, but it's sad to hear you don't either.”

“Most of the family duties rest in Kahlua's hands.”

“Where does Kahlua go to school?”

“I don't know.”

Kurumu sighed again.

“I think it's a little strange that she was not going to the same school.”

“The Shuzen Estate is in the Kumamoto Prefecture. I assume big sister attends school there but she may still be educated by tutors like Kokoa is.”

“Do you think Kokoa will take the test to come to this school?”

Moka grinned as Kurumu wandered up the next aisle to Yougan's vacant desk.

“I hope so. I've been wanting to be with one of my sisters for as long as I can remember. I know Kokoa wishes for this too.”

Kurumu nodded as Satsuki and Yukari came in through the back door together. Satsuki was shaking her head with a grin on her lips as she moved to poke the snoozing Nerume in the lower back. Yukari did a similar thing, though it was Moka's tit that received the poking.

“Yukari!”

Moka whimpered, clutching her right breast while brandishing the dust pan at the smirking imp. The witch ignored the pan, stepping around the weapon to wrap her arms about Moka's torso. Yukari sighed, pressing the side of her face against Moka's bosom.

“Hmm. A frontal assault. Looks like you won't be groped today.”

Moka sighed as she draped her arms over the witch's shoulders to return the hug.

“What sort of job do you think Moka should pursue, Yukari?”

“She shall be my housewife.”

Kurumu reached the end of the aisle, deliberately swatting the dirt at Yukari's ankles.

“I'm sure a vampire has loftier goals than making meals and drawing baths for you.”

Yukari sighed, relaxing her grip. She stared up at the concerned expression on Moka's face.

“I would take real good care of her.”

Kurumu shook her head as she walked up the next aisle to Hiboshi's vacant desk. She smiled, offering a wave to Tora whom had been joined by Kana. The blond had flipped open a notebook and was proudly presenting it to the class rep. Tora was too busy with the book to notice Kurumu’s gesture.

“Kurumu seems the housewife type. Pop out a couple kids and spread gossip about the neighbors.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Satsuki as she steadily made her way to the back of the room.

“I don't spread gossip.”

“You cause gossip.”

“Gossip is the life blood of our work.”

Ginei grinned as he walked through the open door, his left hand thrust in his pocket as he brushed his bangs back with his other. His jacket hung open and two of his top buttons had been left undone. The wolf pendant dangled from the silver chain about his neck.

“I think Kurumu would make an excellent reporter.”

“You mean like on TV?”

“Of course. She's sexy and would have her audience's undivided attention.”

Kurumu smirked as she walked up the last aisle.

“My charm doesn't work through a mirror. I'm pretty sure it won't work on the TV.”

“I'm not talking about your eyes.”

Kurumu shivered as Ginei momentarily turned up his desire to accentuate his point. She had no idea how he did that.

“It won't ever work because the poor cameraman would lose his mind.”

“Not true at all.”

Kurumu glanced over her shoulder, noting Kamitsuku had gathered up his stuff and was about to leave.

“Most guys holding the camera keep one eye shut while the other looks through the lens. If it doesn't work through a mirror, I'm pretty sure it's not going to work through a camera.”

“Her charm is going to work however she wants it to work.”

“Don't start that nonsense again.”

“I'm telling you that the eye is a receptor for information. I'm convinced that you simply have no clue how it works and are making the rules up for yourself.”

Ginei stroked invisible whiskers on his chin.

“You're implying that she's telepathic.”

“Actually that did not cross my mind, as that is not the slightest bit scientific.”

“I've felt her charm in passing a couple times when our eyes inadvertently meet. I recover quickly so nobody notices, but I can assure you that it's not a matter of her talking to me or touching me. It may not be scientific, but telepathy is the word you are looking for.”

“Telepathy is pure science fiction. There's no medium to explain how thoughts can simply be passed from one consciousness to another.”

Kamitsuku chuckled.

“Well I'm going to head out before she reads my mind. I'll see you tomorrow, Kurumu.”

Kurumu waved to him as she resumed her sweeping to the back of the class. Nerume had finally roused to Satsuki's halfhearted antics. The girl was cautiously stepping out of her seat to avoid the broom.

“We were all in Kurumu's head this weekend. She called it a dream world.”

Kurumu sighed, swatting Satsuki with the broom as she passed.

“What? That's relevant information.”

“What do you mean a dream world?”

“Kurumu has a unique ability to pull people around her into her mind.”

“Telepathy.”

Yukari sighed at the quickness of Ginei's conclusion.

“I realize that the evidence might be in that favor. That's a frightening prospect, because she's so dumb.”

Kurumu frowned as most of those in the back of the class laughed at the statement. Sighing, she pushed the broom methodically towards the center where Moka stood, combining the small piles together.

“So how long has she been doing this dream thing?”

“She did it in the fight with Kuyo after you passed out.”

“How does that work?”

“Well, everyone pulled in loses their consciousness. I understand it makes everyone quite vulnerable in the real world.”

“Sounds risky.”

“We were in Tora's barrier, so it was safe. Safer.”

Kurumu tapped Moka with the broom handle, nodding at the pile she had created. The vampire bent down to hold the dustpan still while Kurumu pushed the debris inside. As Moka wandered off to empty the pan into the trashcan, Tora and Kana wandered over to join them.

“What's this about my barrier?”

“We're talking about Kurumu's dream world and how it incapacitates anyone pulled inside. She did this during the fight with Kuyo.”

Tora frowned.

“I remember at some point everyone stopped moving. It was scary.”

“I’m curious but why were you doing dream world stuff with Ms. Unari? I thought we were exclusive.”

Kurumu sighed, promptly walking away. She still had half a class to sweep and did not want to discuss her misadventures in the dream world.

“Thanks a lot, Satsuki. I'm going to torment you with nightmares for this.”

Satsuki huffed.

“After all I did for you this morning? You're a horrible person.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out as she started sweeping the first aisle towards the front.

“We'll be going now. Maybe we can catch up on the weekend.”

“Don't the two of you have clubs to go to?”

Her friends glanced at each other and shrugged.

“I'm in the mood for a movie.”

“Yea. I'll check with Auntie to see if she has plans. Bye.”

Kurumu nodded, offering a wave as the two slipped out the back door. She promptly finished sweeping the first aisle to the front and moved on to the second. Moka slowly made her way to the front as the rest of the club remained in the back.

“So how serious is this conclusion about her being telepathic?”

“Telepathy in fiction is basically the same as speech. It would satisfy my suspicions that her charm must be something she projects. Perhaps meeting someone's gaze helps her focus. Subconsciously she locks in, which is why it happens accidentally.”

Ginei smirked.

“Sounds good to me, though I guess this game of dodging eye contact will lose its meaning.”

“She's handicapped herself for years with the belief it requires eye contact.”

Kurumu sighed as she finished up with the second aisle.

“I have tried charming without my gaze. It doesn't work.”

“She discovered her dream world in a time of desperation. I'm sure if she were subjected to another dire situation in which she could not use her dream world, she might throw away that limitation.”

“Fair enough.”

Ginei glanced about as Kurumu swept up the third aisle.

“So where's Tsukune?”

“He wandered off to use the restroom.”

Ginei chuckled.

“So how are you feeling, Kurumu? You had a close brush with death yesterday.”

Kurumu sighed.

“That was a misunderstanding.”

“I'm sure most misunderstandings result in an ice spear through the heart.”

“Shirayuki has difficulty controlling her powers when she's emotional. She wasn't trying to kill me.”

“That just means she's dangerous and unpredictable. Do you want to write an article about it?”

“Why?”

“It's a huge rumor about someone in our newspaper club. We have to make a statement.”

“I want everyone to leave her alone.”

“Fine. I will handle the article.”

“Ginei. Please don’t.”

“It's important to be on top of a rumor like this. I'm going to talk with Coach Kotsubo with you tomorrow. I heard from Tora it's going to be two in the afternoon.”

“I'm kind of surprised you would come to a photo shoot of a boys' team.”

“I will try to present the article as an unfortunate misunderstanding between the three of you. That's all. It won't change the fact that she will be regarded as dangerous. But I can dismiss this as being part of her nature. You can't hate a hurricane regardless of how much damage it causes.”

Kurumu sighed.

“Whatever. Be gentle with her, okay?”

“I have to.”

He grinned widely.

“Otherwise she might come after me.”

Kurumu finished up with the last of the aisles and started pushing the small piles together for Moka. In a few seconds she had completed the task, wandering back to the locker to put the broom away while Moka emptied the pan in the wastebasket.

“Would you care if you left your notes on the soccer team with us? We don't have a whole lot to do and I was thinking it might be best to knock that out while you are doing your thing with Ms. Kagome.”

“Ms. Kagome has been asked to stop those lessons.”

“Oh. Hmm. Well in that case, we should all head over to the computer lab.”

“When did this happen?”

“Kurumu and I had a talk with Ms. Sasayaki about Tsukune's behavior. She has been asked to cease her sessions for the time being.”

Moka frowned as she came over to join them after putting the dustpan away.

“Should we wait for Tsukune?”

“I know a little about Ms. Kagome’s special lessons. Unless she had a chance to reprogram him, Tsukune should be waiting for her in that empty lecture room for his next lesson.”

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head. She walked over to her desk, picking up her schoolbag.

“We should go get him.”

Ginei grinned, nodding to the hallway before being the first to retreat out of the room. Kurumu quick stepped around Tora and Kana to be next to Ginei as they started down the hallway.

“So did you have Ms. Kagome as your math teacher?”

“Nope. I had Ms. Zaiten. Why?”

“Just curious.”

Kurumu glanced back, noting that Yukari had taken Moka’s hand and was walking quietly beside the vampire. Kana hurried up to walk beside Kurumu, holding her sketchbook open. The page had been cut up into eight panels, heavily inked with sketches of Kappa boy. The thought bubbles revealed his agony over whether he should try swimming again after his last embarrassment. The second to last panel had him touching his toe in the water for someone off panel to comment about how shriveled their toes looked after spending too much time in the pool. The boy walks off, thinking it is for the best to leave some things unanswered.

“I don’t get it.”

“You know, shrinkage.”

“No… I don’t.”

“We’re not running that one, Kana. We’ve already given you a whole page.”

“A whole page?”

“Yea. It looks like we will have a healthy twelve pager this time around. I’m content with that.”

“Up to the standards of your old club?”

“Not quite, but close enough for me to know we’re carrying the torch on respectfully.”

“How did you guys fill your old papers?”

“We did a lot of town articles since Mononoke doesn’t have a local paper. That was her idea when she took over. She wanted to increase the bond between the school and the locals.”

“She sounds like she was a very special girl.”

“She was.”

“Did you ever ask her out?”

Ginei laughed, shaking his head.

“I would never ask her out.”

“Why not?”

“I admired her but I was so angry at the time. All I could think about was the injustice that happened to my friend. Love and romance were the farthest things from my mind.”

Kurumu smiled as they reached the end of the hall and turned down the main one that connected the wings. She nodded at Tora, whom had joined them on Ginei’s other side.

“Well now that Kuyo’s been removed from his throne of terror, you can rest easy and date whomever you please.”

Ginei chuckled.

“You’re right. What do you say, Kurumu? Dump that loser and go out with me.”

“No.”

“My first rejection post Kuyo. I shall cherish this forever.”

“You should be more sensitive to the feelings of girls around you.”

“You’re the telepath. Tell me which girl around me wants my body.”

Kurumu sighed aware that Tora was shaking her head vehemently.

“If you even think of bringing me up, I will nominate you to take my class rep position.”

“As if the class would want me to do that.”

Ginei smirked.

“If the position is being voted on, the popular kid wins regardless of qualifications. The only person you might not beat out is Moka.”

“I guess I’ll have to nominate her if you nominate me.”

“An impromptu popularity poll.”

“Tora mentioned something like that earlier this week. I’m curious if the students would be interested in that. Everyone I’ve asked seem to like the idea.”

“We need the student council’s permission to do a poll like that. It’s something that would take days to do properly.”

“I wonder if Ms. Okimune would make your list.”

Ginei smiled.

“I’m sure she would.”

“Did you have Mr. Hakuru as your science teacher?”

“I did.”

“So she was probably your science lab partner.”

“I’m serious that you have a future in journalism. Your observations are on point.”

Kurumu grinned.

“So why don’t you ask her out?”

“Be gentle. I’m still recovering from my last rejection.”

Kurumu shook her head, amused with his banter.

“Have you ever asked a girl out before?”

“Nope.”

“Are you afraid of rejection?”

“I’ve not given it much thought. Girls used to ask me out all the time in junior high.”

“Sure they did.”

Ginei chuckled as they walked by the large foyer.

“I’m not kidding. I don’t know why, but I guess being this cool, mysterious tough guy was attractive to human girls. I was asked out so often that I had to turn some away.”

“Now you sound conceited.”

“I’m not saying I was picky about whom I went out with. I usually said yes, regardless of what they looked like.”

“That’s not something to be proud of.”

“Loyalty is. I only turned girls down if I had a girlfriend. It’s a shame none of my girlfriends felt the same way.”

“You were cheated on?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It always played out the same way. I’d get asked out. We’d go on a couple dates and she’d start to lose interest in me. Next thing I know, she’s breaking up over a text so she can be with some other guy that crossed her mind.”

“That’s sad.”

“I never took it seriously. I admit, the first time it happened… that did surprise me. But I can’t pretend like I was broken up about it. We did our own things and she decided we weren’t meant to be.”

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”

Kana giggled as Ginei made an unusual pouty expression.

“That’s a no win question.”

“Are there any girls on your mind?”

“Of course, but I don’t see why I need to be asking anyone out. I’ve never had to before and I’m not going to start now.”

“Have you ever thought you might be the guy Okimune is waiting to ask her out?”

“That would be utterly tragic for her.”

Kurumu smirked.

“For her?”

“Think of all she’s missing out because she’s stubbornly denying herself my company.”

Kana giggled as Tora regarded Ginei pensively.

“Have you ever been asked out while at Yokai?”

“Only twice during second term.”

“You turned them down?”

Ginei sighed as they reached the end of the main hall. They turned left, keeping on the right side of the hallway which would take them to the computer room.

“Loyalty. I was technically in a relationship with a girl a year younger than me back at home. When I came back for summer break, I was so distant and upset over what had happened to my friend, Kaito. I had been expressly forbidden to talk about the circumstances surrounding Kaito’s death, so it was difficult to explain why I was acting withdrawn.”

“That must have been rough on your girlfriend.”

“I wasn’t thinking about her at all. At that point she was only a convenient excuse for me to turn girls down. Kimiko broke up with me first thing when I came back for winter break. Officially… though I understand she had started dating this other guy shortly after the school’s sports festival.”

Kurumu managed a smile.

“Well you’re a free man now. No girlfriend or mass murderer to occupy your time. Put that footnote under your profile in the article about us and I’m sure some brave girl will come to claim you.”

“How come you never shared any of these things with me?”

Ginei shrugged as he placed both of his hands behind his head.

“Oh, well… Kurumu has bigger tits so I’m hoping she’ll hug me out of pity.”

Tora frowned, smacking his side with the back of her hand as Kana giggled. Kurumu grinned, noting they were quickly approaching the disciplinary room. The doors to the vacant room across the hall were closed up. There was no signs of Tsukune, so she wondered if he had gone inside and shut the doors.

“Okay, I’m going to check on Tsukune. Feel free to start without me.”

Kurumu handed her schoolbag over to Ginei, bumping him in the gut with it till he took it out of her hands. Slipping around behind him, she patted him on the shoulder before walking across the small walkway that connected the two sides of the open hall.

“Wait up, Kurumu.”

She paused once reaching the other side, noting Moka had detached from Yukari and was quickly approaching. The vampire’s cheeks were a little flush, suggesting the hand holding had not lasted long and they had been oblivious to the witch’s transgressions due to their conversation.

“Did you kiss your husband before running off?”

“What?”

“That is your duty as her housewife.”

Moka shook her head, absently caressing the swell of her jacket.

“You guys need to stop leaving me alone with her.”

“You know she can’t take it as well as she dishes it out.”

“Take what?”

“The groping. I’m sure if you returned the favor she would be docile as a kitten.”

“I’m not going to do that to Yukari.”

“It’s just a suggestion.”

“A very bad one.”

Kurumu shrugged as she started down the hall. It was a short walk to the first door, but it would not tug open. Frowning, Kurumu gestured for Moka to follow her to the other door. She noted the others had already made their way to the computer room and were slipping inside. Only Yukari was lingering behind, watching them with mild interest.

The back door was also locked.

“That’s strange. I don’t think classroom doors lock from the outside short of having a key.”

Moka did not hesitate. She knifed her hand through the door, reaching in to free the lock.

“Or we could do that.”

Moka blushed as she pulled her hand free.

“Sorry. I was worried.”

Kurumu laughed, sliding the door open.

“I might have done the same. Don’t worry about it.”

They walked in and Moka gasped. In her true form Ms. Kagome was wrapped about Tsukune. She was dressed in that same leather outfit she had worn two days ago. The flower end of her serpentine tail was clamped over Tsukune’s head. The teacher glanced over at them and sighed.

“What is she doing to Tsukune?!”

Kurumu placed a hand on Moka’s arm, squeezing gently.

“Ms. Kagome. You were asked to stop this.”

The teacher shook her head, turning her attention back to Tsukune. She caressed the side of his face which was bared. His body flinched in a steady, rhythmic manner.

“I just need to finish his lesson. Everything will be fine after this.”

“You were supposed to leave work with Ms. Nekonome. Let us handle Tsukune’s lessons.”

“Don’t be silly, Kurumu. You are in no position to help Tsukune study.”

Moka bit her lower lip, glancing to Kurumu. Kurumu took a deep breath and nodded. Letting go of Moka, she pointed at the vampire and then at Tsukune. Nodding again, she slipped around behind Moka and walked slowly towards Ms. Kagome.

“It will be okay, Ms. Kagome. I’ll leave Moka in charge of his studies.”

“You silly girl, it won’t work that way! We can’t take any chances!”

Kurumu pounced on Ms. Kagome’s back, pulling the woman back as Moka lunged for Tsukune. It was surprisingly difficult to hold the writhing woman as the lamia quickly released Tsukune to lash her tail into Moka. The vampire sailed across the room, smashing several desks along the way. The woman twisted about in Kurumu’s grasp, coiling her tail about Kurumu to cinch her in place.

“You don’t understand, my love. We have to do this while there’s still time.”

Kurumu grimaced as Ms. Kagome tightened about her torso. The woman caressed the side of her cheek, kissing the top of her head.

“Please, Ms. Kagome. Please stop.”

“Just one more lesson and he won’t remember her at all. It will only be you. For you.”

Her head was yanked back and Ms. Kagome closed in to crush her lips against Kurumu’s. Kurumu whimpered, unable to resist as a tongue, dripping with fluids invaded her mouth. Her heart fluttered as her body tensed up. She wanted to fight back but she could not move with this lamia body wrapped firmly about her. She could not even force her tail out.

She was suffocating, able only to catch air through her nose. She swallowed those juices, unable to push back as that tongue licked her mouth dry. She felt dizzy and warm.

“Tsukune! Are you okay?!”

Ms. Kagome slithered away, striking against the vampire. As Kurumu slumped down on her hands and knees, the teacher pinned Moka to the wall with her tail. Moka screamed as a crackle of sparks sounded out, the teacher’s breasts heaving with her labored breaths.

“Stay out of this! I will not have you interfere any longer!”

Kurumu crawled over to Tsukune, whom remained seated and unmoving. He stared blankly at Moka’s notebook which had fallen at his feet. Kurumu picked it up and placed it in his lap, crawling up his torso to caress the side of his face.

“What have you done to him?”

“I did what I had to. In moments the aphrodisiac will kick in, and you will become one with him. Then everyone will be happy.”

“What?”

“You’re not the only one with a special fluid in your mouth. Where do you think Gusuriko got that aphrodisiac from?”

Kurumu’s eyes widened in horror. When she had first met Ms. Sasayaki, the teacher had provided her an aphrodisiac to stimulate her. It had worked shamelessly well. Her heart twisted as her breath caught in her throat.

“Why?”

“For you, my love. It’s all for you.”

“You’re crazy! Kurumu doesn’t want this!”

“Shut up, you vicious girl! You have no idea what it is like for beings such as us.”

Kurumu swallowed, caressing the sides of his face to get some sort of response. Boldly she looked up into his vacant eyes.

“Tsukune? Are you okay?”

“Tsukune. Who do you love?”

“I love Kurumu.”

A tear rolled down Kurumu’s cheek as her heart tightened in her chest. It was not fair. This was not how she wanted to hear those words.

“I only love Kurumu.”

Snatching up the notebook, Kurumu held it to his face. She stared into his eyes, swallowing down the dryness in her throat.

“You love Moka. You have always loved Moka as much as me. You know that.”

“Moka?”

“What are you doing?”

She stared intently at him, knowing she could reach him. She had to break Kagome’s influence.

“Yes. She’s the one that made this notebook for you. She was going to help you study, because she’s a smart girl and can do nice things like that for you. She is Moka, the first friend you made coming to Yokai. The first girl you liked.”

“I love Moka.”

Kurumu smiled, sniffling as another tear rolled down her cheek. It hurt but this was better for everyone.

“Yes. You always have.”

“No! Don’t do this, Kurumu! You can’t! We were going to be a family!”

Kurumu shook her head.

“No. I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can! I’ve prepared everything. I even put her inside you.”

Kurumu’s jaw trembled. She had started to suspect what it meant to host, but had not wanted to dwell on it. These terrible cramps that had plagued her all day was her body pushing out something that did not belong. It had never been normal.

“Whatever you did to me is over. Your egg broke this morning.”

“No. That’s not possible. It should take days, even a week.”

“There’s nothing left inside of me.”

“But it hasn’t even been a day. That’s not possible!”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Kagome. My body must not be a suitable host.”

Ms. Kagome’s face was streaked with tears.

“No! We were going to be happy. Tsukune! Make love to the girl you love!”

Tsukune grabbed the notebook from Kurumu, his attention focused on the notes.

“Moka.”

“Not Moka, you fool. Kurumu. Make love to Kurumu.”

Kurumu took a deep breath, pulling away from Tsukune to stand on her own feet. Sniffling again, she held her hand down to him.

“Come on, Tsukune. We have to pry our silly teacher off our friend.”

Tsukune nodded, taking her hand and getting up on his feet. He turned and started towards Ms. Kagome.

Ms. Kagome’s grief stricken face twisted in rage. She whirled about, grabbing the struggling Moka by the throat.

“This is all your fault! If you weren’t here, Kurumu would have let things be! Because of you, she will never be happy!”

“Wow, Ms. Kagome. I don’t think you truly want to strangle a student in front of the school nurse.”

Ginei was standing in the open door next to Ms. Tsumugi. He chuckled as Ms. Kagome broke down in tears. Her hands moved to Moka’s shoulders as her tail pulled back, the bulb closing. Her serpentine body lowered as she pressed her face into Moka’s blouse, her shoulders shaking as she cried. Moka gingerly reached around to hold the distraught woman.

Yukari slipped in behind Ginei, hurrying over to Kurumu’s side. She offered an apologetic smile as she caressed the side of Kurumu’s face.

“I’m sorry. I hesitated.”

“When did you notice?”

“I saw her pin Moka to the wall, but I didn’t know what I should do. I decided it would be best if I informed Morioka about the situation.”

“Surprised you didn’t attack.”

“I just wanted her to be happy. I wanted us all to be happy.”

Ms. Tsumugi walked over to Moka, sighing as she placed a hand on Ms. Kagome’s back.

“Come along, dear. We can chat in the infirmary about what you did to Shizuka.”

Ms. Kagome sobbed, allowing her colleague to lead her out of the room. Taking a deep breath, Ginei walked over to Moka and patted her on the shoulder.

Yukari hugged Kurumu. She let out a sigh of relief.

“You know, lamias aren’t dangerous. You could have beaten her down easily.”

“I didn’t have the heart to do that.”

Kurumu took in a deep breath, starting to feel a bit hot. She favored Ginei with a smile.

“Where’s Tora?”

“I sent Tora to fetch Ms. Nekonome. I didn’t realize our teacher was resting in the infirmary. It seems Ms. Kagome had neutralized her before pulling her little stunt here.”

Moka frowned.

“Should I go get her?”

Kurumu smiled, gesturing to Tsukune whom stood silently, holding the notebook in his hands. He still had a vacant look but had ceased movement now that Moka was free.

“No. I think you should watch over Tsukune for a bit. Yukari and I need to take a little break.”

“We do?”

“Well… you remember that aphrodisiac Ms. Sasayaki gave me that one time?”

“We agreed not to speak about that.”

“You are aware that Lamias create such aphrodisiacs?”

Yukari’s eyes brightened up.

“Oh. Uh… how bad are we thinking this might become?”

“I have no idea.”

“Right. Hmm.”

The witch turned to Ginei, holding out her hand.

“I require the keys to the printing room.”

“What do you need those for?”

“I need to lock a horny devil away for an hour or two.”

Kurumu hoped it would not be that bad.


	10. Second Chances

Kurumu absently bobbed her dangling legs while resting on the medical bed. She clutched a small device that was wired to the side of the bed in her left hand. With a push of the fat purple button on top, the upper half of the bed lifted while the other button lowered it. Having little else to do, she elevated the bed, curious how high up it would go.

She shifted her butt to the pivot point, her bare bottom threatening to slip out of this loose, baby blue hospital gown. Her canary halter top rested atop the rest of her clothes in a nearby square armchair with plastic like cushions that clung to the skin. Her schoolbag leaned up against the chair at the floor.

There was not much of a lower half to this bed and the surface was not much better than the armchair. Realizing this thing was not getting any higher, nowhere close to being upright, she pushed the other button. She stared up at the bland ceiling as the bed whirred while descending.

She had not been able to participate in club last night. While she spent her time locked up in the printing room resisting the pressing urge to gratify herself, Moka and Kana had escorted Tsukune to the dining hall to take care of him for the evening. Tora had handled her soccer notes, leaving Yukari to stand watch over Kurumu’s makeshift prison. Technically she could have gotten out, but it was not like she had lost all sense of reason. She could not risk going out unaware how this agitated state affected guys.

By the time she had felt safe to leave the room, all but Ginei and Yukari had gone home. Ms. Kagome had been taken to the hospital shortly after Ms. Nekonome recovered from her drug induced stupor. Not having much else to say, Ginei had escorted the two of them to their respective homes.

Kurumu had turned her alarm off and slept in past eight. She had rushed through her morning routine, hurrying off to the dining hall. She had arrived a half hour late despite flying, thanks to some chatter with Natsudera and Akushita during breakfast. She had no idea what they had talked about.

Ms. Sasayaki had slightly admonished her over her tardiness and had sent her up to the third floor with a nurse. After using the restroom she had changed and been left alone in this examining room. The clock hanging high on the wall near the door revealed it was five to ten.

This bed lowered more than she expected. She stopped the subtle swing of her dangling legs, suddenly conscious about anyone walking by the open door being able to see up her gown. This was silly as the seat had not lifted in the slightest. She pressed the top button to return her to a comfortable position.

The lower seat was flanked by a square armrest with an open, rounded cushion. She wondered if she was in the bed upside down, though that seemed unlikely. With the bed brought back up to its semi seated position, Kurumu leaned forward to tug at the armrest. The rest extended up on a swivel towards the door. Scooting closer, she noted it had a silver end that pulled out and turned on a hinge. She placed her arm in the rest, pressing her palm to the flat silver plate.

“That’s where your foot goes, Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu grinned sheepishly as she withdrew her hand.

Ms. Sasayaki smiled, closing the door and setting aside a clipboard on the counter. The woman had a pristine lab coat worn over a periwinkle blouse and navy blue slacks. Her black flats did not make a sound as she walked over to a counter and tugged a stool out from beneath it. She rolled the chair over to the end of the bed, fluffing out her lab coat before taking a seat.

“So how are you feeling, Ms. Kurono?”

“I suppose I’m okay. Much better than I was yesterday.”

“Ririko did confess forcing a child inside you. I know this must be an unpleasant experience.”

“Yea…”

“Are you still having cramps?”

“A little.”

“I’ll perform a flush first. Get all that foreign matter out of you. That should stop your cramps.”

Ms. Sasayaki wheeled away to the counter, tugging open the drawers. She pulled out a box of latex gloves and some fluid packets. A small blue pan was set aside. A sponge and a fat syringe with a plastic tube were added to the pan. Closing the drawer, the woman started putting on the gloves.

“How is Ms. Kagome?”

“She’s resting upstairs. She did test positive to your opiate, so we will have to address that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It is rather unfortunate.”

With the gloves in place, Ms. Sasayaki pulled the pan into her lap and rolled back over to Kurumu. She gestured to the rest on Kurumu’s left.

“If you would be kind to pull that other one up and sit accordingly.”

Kurumu smiled, scooting over to work with the other rest as Ms. Sasayaki pulled a small tray out from under the seat to set the pan upon.

“I’ve never done something like this.”

“Most girls your age haven’t. The ones that are sexually active aren’t rushing to the hospital for exams.”

Aware how it worked, Kurumu quickly got the other rest up. She thought about lifting her calves up into the rests, but they were much higher than she felt they should be.

“How should I do this?”

The woman was filling up the syringe with the fluids from one of the packets.

“Scoot all the way up to the end of the seat and lie back.”

Kurumu sighed, certain this would be embarrassing. She wiggled her butt to the edge of the seat and lifted one leg up into the side cushion rest. Leaning back, she did the same with her other leg, her loose gown wide open and obscuring all but the top of Ms. Sasayaki’s head. Grabbing the cord with the controls, she eased herself back to feel more comfortable.

“When I present the case of having Ms. Kagome transfer to the third years, I intend to petition for your relocation to a private suite.”

“Why?”

She heard the wheels draw closer as Ms. Sasayaki’s head dipped from sight.

“It will be at no extra cost. Such a move has been done before when a student appears to naturally put others at risk. I understand a similar arrangement is being petitioned for Ms. Shirayuki in your class.”

Kurumu tensed up as she felt something pushed inside her. A gloved hand touched her inner thigh for a moment. Soon after it withdrew, warm fluids squirted up inside her. That felt weird.

“But I like being in the same dorm as the other girls.”

“I’m aware that there was never an issue with your mother being in the dorms, but I feel it would help Ririko’s case of acting under your influence.”

The syringe withdrew and some fluids dribbled out. She heard a couple drips into the pan as a sponge wiped her inner thighs. A gloved hand massaged her navel.

“Sit up some.”

Kurumu pressed the button to elevate her torso as she lifted up on her elbows. She heard more gush out into the pan with the sharp stench of rotten eggs. She grimaced.

“That’s so gross.”

“Some chunks of the shell take effort to remove. I’ll do a second packet after wiping you down.

There was a pause as she felt her folds being rubbed by the sponge.

“Are you fine with moving to a suite?”

Dakuhime was the only girl that resembled a friend on her floor. Moving away from Moka and Tora was the real issue. She supposed it might not be a big deal if it meant she lived near Yukari.

“Yea, I guess.”

“It will also put some distance between you and Ms. Shirayuki if she is allowed to stay in the dorms. You did say you would try to make things easier on her, which would be a step in the right direction.”

Kurumu nodded, tensing as fingers pushed up inside her. She grimaced as the fingers pulled back towards her entrance, feeling solid flecks of debris being moved about.

“This was always unpleasant. I had to do this several times before we succeeded.”

“You had this done?”

Fingers withdrew as the woman scooted back.

“I agreed to host a child for Ririko a few years ago.”

“Why?”

Ms. Sasayaki chuckled.

“Ririko was married to a young man she attended college with. While my sister was married at the start of the year, my favorite student took her vows a few months later to Kimura Daiki, an aspiring chemist. They shared several math classes their first year and started dating in their second. It happened so fast that I was surprised with the wedding invitation.”

“I didn’t know she was married.”

“Why? She’s beautiful, sexy and intelligent. Plus she can drive any man wild with that aphrodisiac she naturally produces in her kiss.”

Kurumu sighed.

“That’s not something to brag about.”

She tensed up as a small tube was slipped inside her, realizing the second packet would soon be injected.

“She tried holding out on kissing him, but that only encouraged him to try harder. He wore her down.”

Kurumu breathed shallow as liquids squirted up inside her again.

“Since aphrodisiacs tend to rob you of some common sense, he realized that Ririko was not getting pregnant despite their lack of caution. He became concerned with her fertility. Aware that she could not have children unassisted, she asked if I would host a child for them.”

The syringe withdrew with fluids spurting out. It was not as pungent as before. She heard the syringe clink against the pan as fingers started massaging her insides.

“I was lonely. My sister and Ririko both were married. Shizuka had her wedding planned for the following spring break. I had nothing, so I let myself think it would be okay. It was not like my womb was being used for anything else.”

“So… she put an egg in you and you had sex with her husband?”

“Yes. Every weekend for several months I would visit them for a threesome. He knew upfront that it was our intent to have me carry his child. I was presented as her doctor and friend, which at that time I did have human world credentials that could be verified. I assured him that my friend was sterile and that I would be honored to birth a child for her. Silly man never thought about adoption, though I suppose he was young and being offered sex with two women.”

There was a loud clunk on the pan.

“I’m about to open you up, so this will feel uncomfortable.”

“Okay.”

Something hard was pushed up into her. Latex fingers spread her folds to allow the device to push in deeper. She heard a click as the implement widened within her. A few more clicks and she grimaced as she felt her hole being stretched wide open.

“Well that’s interesting.”

Kurumu swallowed as hands pushed the back of her thighs slightly up.

“Lean back.”

Kurumu nodded as she pushed the button to lower the upper half of the bed. She lifted her butt off the edge of the seat, hearing another two clicks as she was widened more.

Ms. Sasayaki sighed.

“There’s nothing there.”

“I thought so. I told them my hymen was broken.”

Ms. Sasayaki chuckled.

“I didn’t mean that. You're hymen looks healthy. No jagged tearing or scarring.”

“Really?”

“Ririko would never hurt you. She's not some young boy without any sense of patience.”

“Then what's wrong?”

“Your cervix. I don’t see one.”

“What’s a cervix?”

Ms. Sasayaki chuckled.

“That’s the lower half of your uterus.”

“You mean my womb?”

“Yes, that would be correct.”

“Are you supposed to be able to see it?”

“Well… humans and most humanoid women don’t have a deep vagina. Normally you can see the womb right away. Yours keeps going.”

“Is that bad?”

“Not necessarily. Ririko’s is the entire length of her tail. In her human form, it coils about like the small intestine.”

“But I’m not a snake. My true form is just me with a tail and wings.”

“I know. That’s why this is interesting.”

Kurumu laughed, feeling resigned. Why did everything have to be so weird?

“Hmm. I suppose a sonogram would be useless. I have no idea where this womb of yours might be hiding. Do you mind if I use a scope?”

Kurumu sighed.

“Sure.”

“I will have to go get one. We don’t leave those lying about in exam rooms.”

As the woman’s stool scooted back, Kurumu lifted up on her elbows while pushing the button to level her back up.

“Wait.”

Already on her feet, Ms. Sasayaki walked over to the red wastebasket. She pushed on the small black lever with her foot, dumping the pan and sponge into the container.

“What happened? I mean, with Ms. Kagome’s husband. What happened?”

Ms. Sasayaki smiled, removing her gloves.

“I suppose the obvious. Young man fell in love with having sex with me. Even though he knew from the start, he was upset when I got pregnant and ceased participating in their sexual activities. Started to hound me at my part time human workplace. He was so difficult that I had to meet Ririko in Mononoke.”

“This guy couldn’t follow you to Mononoke?”

“She met this young man in college, Ms. Kurono. Kimura was human.”

Kurumu blushed, feeling stupid.

“Oh. Right.”

Ms. Sasayaki sighed, wandering over to the wastebasket. She stepped on a small pedal and dropped the gloves inside the open lid.

“It’s so hard to deal with humans. You never know how they will react.”

“Well… you were having sex with him.”

“That’s not quite what I meant. Lamias aren’t born with the ability to suppress their true forms.”

Ms. Sasayaki sighed, shaking her head.

“I don’t know. Maybe things would have been different if Ririko had revealed her true form at the start.”

She favored Kurumu with a wistful smile.

“But if you reveal to a human and they take it poorly, Fairy Tale gets involved. I can’t fault Ririko for wanting to avoid that. They tend to be heavy handed with their solutions.”

“What happened?”

Ms. Sasayaki stared off at the back corner of the room. She absently reached over to the counter to pick up the clipboard. Holding it to her breast, she smiled at Kurumu.

“I shall be off to get that scope.”

The woman pulled open the door, slipping out into the hallway. She promptly closed the door, leaving Kurumu with this sense of regret. Kurumu kind of guessed what was left unspoken. Most likely Ms. Kagome's husband was dead, so pushing for details would only cause pain.

She mildly wondered what had happened to the baby, since that seemed to be what tipped the husband off about Ririko not being human. She doubted either teacher was caring for a young child, or rather, she knew Ms. Sasayaki lived alone. Perhaps the baby had been taken away by Fairy Tale as a price for their mistakes. Maybe that was too cruel. Perhaps taking care of a child alone was too much for Ms. Kagome, so the baby was in the care of her family. Since Lamias were born without the ability to suppress their true forms, it seemed unlikely for Ms. Kagome to be an orphan.

Kurumu managed a smile as she messed around with the bed controls. She could ease back into talking about Ms. Kagome with a harmless question about family. Maybe not right away, but at some point. What should she talk about instead?

She still felt sad about leaving the dorm, but she did feel responsible for Ms. Kagome's actions. And moving away from Shirayuki might be easier on her, though it was not like they had ever talked in the dorms after their initial encounter. If she really wanted to make things easier on Shirayuki, changing homerooms would make more sense.

She sighed, wondering if that would be for the best. It would give Tsukune some space, but she worried what that might do to her public status as his girlfriend. She could already imagine the argument she would have to wield. It was not like they did anything special in class together. All their interactions were in classroom breaks, which she could easily circumvent if she switched to a nearby class.

Yukari's class could use another girl. Hinoko had mentioned that her friend was transferring out after midterms, and that class already had a shortage of girls. There was also two open desks near Yukari that she could use. Deshi was creepy, but tolerable. Satsuki sat somewhere in there. Morisato from her home ec was also near Yukari.

Tokori had mentioned that Saizou would be returning for midterms. It would be nice to be in a different homeroom to avoid that confrontation. Would the school actually send him back to their homeroom? The altercation that got him suspended was over him trying to kill four of his classmates. She doubted Ms. Sasayaki would know anything about it.

The door opened and Ms. Sasayaki wheeled in a device with a monitor and several other gizmos attached to it. That was far more intimidating than a scope, though Kurumu had not really thought about what was going to happen. She pushed her button to get as upright as possible to better see what the woman was doing.

Asuka had mentioned other succubi.

“Have you ever heard of a Ms. Kiyoshi?”

Ms. Sasayaki pushed the monitor over to a stop next to Kurumu's left foot. The woman bent down for a moment and the screen flickered to life.

“I am not familiar with the name.”

“A girl in my home ec class, Ms. Shindou, mentioned her Uncle worked with a succubus in Fairy Tale. I understand he is the division leader for the Iwate Prefecture.”

“Are you not wanting to find some answers today?”

“I… no. I'm fine. I just thought having knowledge of another succubus might help you.”

“I could easily ask your mother to come by.”

Kurumu sighed.

“I don't think my mother knows anything.”

“I'm sure she knows how she had a baby.”

Kurumu smiled, noting the screen displayed a warped view of a silver tray. A latex glove was picked up and meticulously drawn over Ms. Sasayaki's long fingers.

“I will be slipping this camera up inside you. The monitor will display what we find.”

“Is this normal?”

“Usually this is done to determine if a fallopian tube is blocked. I'm sure this will be long enough to find whatever might be at the end of your tunnel.”

“What if it isn't?”

“There's an iodine test that we can also do. It shows up differently on an x-ray, so it would help give an outline of your reproductive system.”

Kurumu took in a sharp breath as she felt something slip up inside her. She watched the screen, realizing this camera must have a light near the tip. It kind of looked like the inside of her mouth, though it was probably more like her throat. A glove pressed on her navel as the implement was guided further in.

“I kind of want to talk to another succubus. I think my mother's too scared to talk truth to me. Do you think you could contact that Ms. Kiyoshi?”

“I try to limit my petitions to Fairy Tale.”

“Asuka mentioned another one. She's some matchmaker that Fairy Tale has tried to recruit.”

“I can ask the Headmaster if he knows whom you are talking about. He tends to be well informed.”

“Thanks.”

Ms. Sasayaki let out a sigh of relief as a whitish obstacle came into view at the end of the passage. The obstruction curved towards the camera, though that could have been a trick of the lens.

“There we are. I believe we have found your ovary.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It's an unusual thing. You don't appear to have a womb. It makes me dreadfully curious how you're supposed to have a child.”

“Should I have a womb?”

“The anatomy of monster races can differ greatly. A Tengu for instance has a womb but they don't carry their baby. It forms the egg and then pushes it out the vagina. Many egg laying monsters behave in a similar fashion, though there are exceptions like Ririko.”

“Could that be an egg?”

“I don't believe so. Though I am being presumptuous in calling it an ovary. Many creatures have ovaries in pairs. My Tengu reference popped in my head because Tengu only have one.”

Kurumu bit her lower lip as she regarded the monitor. As fascinating as it was to see this thing inside her, she was worried about how she should broach the other subjects on her mind.

“Ms. Sasayaki. About this request to change my dorms… should I change homerooms?”

“Ririko will either be assigned to the third years or dismissed from Yokai. You need not worry about that.”

Kurumu grimaced, hoping the alternative would not happen.

“I was thinking more about Shirayuki. You said moving out of the dorms would make it easier on her, but we sit by each other every day in our homeroom.”

“I imagine that would upset Shizuka.”

“It’s just a thought. I know Ms. Sunao's homeroom is losing a girl after midterms and they’re kind of short on girls. It’s also Yukari’s homeroom so I wouldn’t be lonely from such a change.”

“I can talk with Shizuka about it over lunch tomorrow. I don’t see this being an issue if both homeroom teachers agree to it, considering it doesn’t impact any other student’s schedule.”

“Thank you.”

She felt the probe retreat, the screen showing the white orb drawing further away.

“I think we shall do that iodine scan, if you don't mind. I'm curious if there is anything beyond that organ that is connected.”

Kurumu glanced up at the clock, noting it was nearly half past ten.

“It won't take long?”

“You won't be ingesting the iodine and I won't be injecting it into your bloodstream. We should be wrapped up before that afternoon commitment of yours.”

Kurumu nodded, resisting the urge to remind the woman about lunch. This was more important. She felt the scope pull out of her, noting the screen displayed Ms. Sasayaki's palms.

“Should I get up?”

“You may.”

Ms. Sasayaki pushed back on her stool, snapping out of her gloves and turning off the screen. Kurumu groaned as she withdrew her right leg up from the rest. She felt a little sore from being stretched in such an odd position. A thought crossed her mind about how she could get used to it with practice, though Tsukune's shoulders were not that broad or far apart. Blushing, she pulled her other leg free.

“Did your mother inform you if you were born or hatched?”

Kurumu pushed off the bed onto her feet. She stretched her arms back over her head as she wiggled her butt in a futile effort to rid herself of this sticky sensation between her thighs. As Ms. Sasayaki pitched the latex gloves in the red wastebasket, Kurumu tried to recall if her mother had ever said anything that hinted at their being another woman.

“My mother always said born, but she might have been doing that to help me think I was human. I suppose I could try asking her in a letter, mentioning that I had an exam and you didn't find a womb.”

Ms. Sasayaki chuckled, opening the door.

“She sounds as troublesome as Shizuka says she is. But she is your family, so be patient with her.”

Kurumu smiled softly, following the woman out into the hall.

“Does Ms. Kagome have family?”

“Hmm?”

“I was curious if she had to discover all this odd stuff about her body through you like I'm having to do.”

Ms. Sasayaki smiled as she continued down the hall.

“Ririko has always known she would require a host. Lamias can only have girls, so her mother is one.”

“Does she know the woman that birthed her?”

“Her mother took the old fashioned route.”

“Meaning?”

“She weaseled her way into the good graces of a human couple under the ruse of being a midwife. When Ririko was born, she pretended the baby was dead and disappeared back into the spiritual realm.”

“It sounds like what she was trying to do with us.”

They arrived in the small elevator lobby. Couches and armchairs lined the walls and two televisions were mounted and turned for those that might linger here. Of course the screens were turned off as Mononoke lacked a local news broadcast or anything resembling a cable service. Ms. Sasayaki pressed the button to call the elevator.

“I don't think so. I’m starting to suspect Ririko prefers female companionship. When things started getting rough with her husband, she suddenly wanted to divorce him. She proposed running away together and raising our little Kyoui where no man would judge us.”

She sighed.

“I regret my indecision.”

Kurumu took in a deep breath as the elevator door opened. She wandered into the car as Ms. Sasayaki pressed the button for the second floor. She regarded the woman's back as the door slowly closed.

“She’s alive, right? The baby you two had together.”

The woman's hair wavered as the sibilant voice whispered.

“We live a long time, Ms. Kurono. We all get lonely.”

* * *

Kurumu scrawled down Coach Kotsubo’s amicable response to Ginei’s inquiry. Ginei had stated up front to his former gym instructor, that he was hoping to compose something that lightened the mood to make things easier on the girl. The coach had been resistant at first, but had relented when it was apparent that this was not aimed to shift the blame onto him.

Sangi was barking orders at the soccer boys, trying to line them up on the field so her club could take more pictures. The tall brunette waved at the boys while holding her camera in the other hand. Her short sleeved, pleated blouse hung loosely upon her torso. The black chiffon had patches of lace interwoven at the shoulders to somewhat bare them. Golden brown corduroys clung tightly about her hips and legs, flaring out at her ankles to almost obscure her black sneakers.

Only Kamitsuku and the other junior had shown up this time, which was more than enough cameras. The greenish aphro haired kid and Kamitsuku both wore simple tees and jeans. She noticed Kamitsuku would occasionally look in her direction, having her curious if he wanted to talk about something.

Coach Kotsubo Okuto was being assisted by two homeroom teachers on a regular basis. The bulky man with his black hair pulled back in a topknot was Mr. Fukushima Areno. He was Ginei’s Japanese instructor and the homeroom teacher for class nine. He was also the coach of the rugby team, though it was not an official, sanctioned sport. The rugby team practiced every other day and would play games against any willing school at any given time. Mostly they played against Hisoshi High in Niigata because it was the closest, but they occasionally traveled to Yamagata and Fukushima.

The cherry haired man with the crew cut was Mr. Hirata Shuiro, a third year English instructor. He was a year younger than Mr. Fukushima and the two had grown up in the same village in the Sekikawa district, making both teachers alumni. The homeroom teacher for class one was also the advisor of the karaoke club, which he did nothing with. He had agreed to be the advisor more than a decade ago and had never felt the need to force the club to find another.

Even though they were on campus, Kurumu had decided to let it all hang out. None of the teachers had commented about her wings or that she was not wearing a bra beneath her canary halter top. Her loose white cotton shorts were practically low rise since her tail was the only thing keeping them from wandering down her hips. She could tell these older men were not about to protest her wardrobe choices, likely hoping to be around if something happened to slip out. Their lustful thoughts were no different than the boys they watched over.

“I can’t say that I don’t flirt all the time, so I know what you mean.”

Ginei’s camera hung from a black strap about his neck. His dark green, silky shirt was unbuttoned. His silver pendant shaped in a wolf’s head rested upon the black tee worn beneath. As typical, Ginei had one hand stuffed in the pocket of his black cargo pants.

“People are too quick to draw conclusions. Sure there are similarities between Ms. Shirayuki and Ms. Kiwasama, but that doesn’t mean anything. I flirt with half the girls on the track team. I’m sure at least one or two of them are equally withdrawn and unpopular.”

Ginei laughed, having started this inquiry about the incident that nearly got Coach Kotsubo dismissed last year. The senior in question, Ms. Kiwasama, had been a quiet, reserved Genbu girl with few friends. It sounded like the biggest reason this had become an issue was because the girl was the niece of Mr. Hirojima, whom did not take kindly to his niece being deflowered outside of marriage. The newspaper club had run a small article on the matter last year, mostly reassuring that the rumors were overstating the depths of the relationship. It was quickly apparent this had been done to preserve her reputation.

“It’s fun to flirt with the shy ones. They react so much cuter to it.”

“Definitely.”

The coach flashed her a grin.

“Though most girls tend to be shy around a guy a decade older than them.”

Kurumu smirked.

“You don’t act that much older than your seniors.”

“I take that as a compliment.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“I think we’re good enough to write a short comment about it. I don’t want to delve too deep and contradict something from an earlier issue.”

“Thanks. That Hirojima has been wanting me out the door ever since I refused to marry his niece. But that really was not in her best interests at all.”

Ginei chuckled.

“Doubting your worth as a man?”

Coach Kotsubo grinned, running a hand through his mangled mess of teal locks.

“Knowing my worth. I’m just a high school gym teacher. We’re talking about a girl that was college bound and was going to do great things. I would have pulled her down.”

“Are you two done with him? We need him for the photos.”

Kurumu smiled, holding a hand up to Sangi.

“If any of your club is interested, I’m sure I could make some space on the bus for our opening games after midterms.”

“It’s a bad weekend for us. I’ve already made plans for the club.”

Kurumu regarded Ginei with mild interest.

“That’s a shame. I know the boys are quite fond of Ms. Kurono here.”

Ginei chuckled.

“Mr. Aono’s birthday falls that weekend. I don’t see how your boys have a chance against that.”

“How unfortunate. Perhaps you will be able to attend one of our home games the following weekend. Imoshinai Institute is a big game for us on Sunday.”

“We can try to do something.”

“Busy?”

“We might be. Depends on how some arrangements work out.”

“Waiting on you!”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

“You should go.”

“Thanks again, Ms. Kurono. I’m sorry you got mixed up in that nasty business with Ms. Shirayuki.”

“You can make it up to me by not going near her again.”

Coach Kotsubo chuckled as he started away.

“No argument there. I’ve been trying to steer clear of her ever since my hospital visit.”

The coach trotted over to Sangi, whom promptly directed him to stand with his seniors. They were taking a picture of him with all eleven starters, so Ushio was in the mix. She wondered if Sangi had taken a shot of the boys from Tokamachi, since she had mentioned it at the start.

Kurumu tensed up at the feel of his hand at her waist. Ginei stepped up beside her though his attention was clearly upon the film club activity.

“Do you mind?”

“I don’t.”

Kurumu smirked, stepping out of his grasp. She slipped her mechanical pencil into the notebook’s binding. Clutching it to her chest, she watched Sangi direct a few shots of the coach with the assistants and then with the seniors.

“What arrangements are you working out?”

“I’m thinking about a big article for our next paper.”

“Oh?”

“Yea. What would you say about taking a trip to the human world for a small investigation?”

Kurumu frowned.

“Can we do that?”

“The only thing after midterms is retests. If everyone passes, there shouldn’t be a problem with us going on a little adventure.”

A part of her wanted to jump at the opportunity. She had wanted to get out of the spiritual realm for years. But another part of her wondered why he was doing this.

“What are you plotting?”

“I’m thinking of a way to trump this newspaper. You have to admit, we have some good articles this time around. We can’t sit around and hope something grand happens for us to write about the next time. We need to get out to where the action is happening.”

“How does a field trip to the human world qualify as grand?”

Ginei grinned, letting his massaging hand drift to the base of her tail.

“Kana mentioned a certain flower field in the Hokuto district of Yamanashi that was meant to be leveled for human construction. According to her cousin there has been a delay due to the site being haunted.”

“Haunted?”

“Sounds like a good story to me.”

To her knowledge, there was no such thing as undead. There were plenty of spirits that could intimidate humans from invading their lands, whom would probably not appreciate a bunch of high school kids poking about for a story.

“I don’t know.”

“It would be amazing if the place is really haunted.”

“There are so many different explanations.”

“You sound like you don’t want to visit the humans. Aren’t you the slightest bit curious if your body reacts differently to Tsukune than other humans?”

Kurumu pouted, surmising Tora must have mentioned this to Ginei at some point.

“It’s tempting. What sort of article are you expecting out of me? I’ve committed to the archery club.”

“Tora mentioned you might do that. I was hoping you would help me out with a favor.”

“What sort of favor?”

“We will need some escorts. At least two, if not three.”

“Why so many?”

“I was thinking of inviting the film club. It is quite useful to have a lot of extra cameras on hand.”

“But half the film club is inactive.”

“So? I’ve talked with Mitsuki about it and she’s all for it.”

“Mitsuki?”

“Sangi. She’s going to talk Mr. Umatobi into being one of our chaperones. This means we will need someone to cover for Ms. Nekonome and Mr. Umatobi.”

“So how does a favor play into this?”

“I’m hoping if you do an article for a club, their advisor will help us out. I’ve already taken steps to handle our cover for Ms. Nekonome. You can help me find someone to cover for Mr. Umatobi.”

Kurumu sighed.

“I don’t know clubs and advisors well enough to do that.”

“I have two suggestions for you. Gymnastics or cheer.”

Kurumu smirked, aware that the gymnastics advisor was the science teacher with the big breasts. She imagined Ginei would be all over helping out with that. The other advisor was the chatty Ms. Uchikawa. She was likely to see the health instructor at Asuka’s birthday party.

“I’ll do the cheer squad.”

“It seems all that pestering of his has finally paid off. Will you be modeling a cheerleader outfit for the soccer team?”

“What is it with the cheerleader outfit that you guys are obsessed with?”

“I don't think it's the outfit. It's the idea of you jumping around and cheering.”

Kurumu grinned, aware how bouncy that could be. She wondered if that double sports bra method that senior track girl used would work, though she only had one for gym. Maybe she could buy another if she came across her size. She sighed, remembering she was broke.

Sangi was standing with the other two boys, looking at the displays in their cameras. Some of the boys were starting a meandering walk towards the bleachers that flanked the track field.

“Are you thinking about a future in journalism?”

“I think it would be a lot of fun unraveling the truth people are so desperate to hide.”

“You're silly.”

“You're more than welcome to tag along.”

“I'm not that interested in doing this for a living.”

“True. I believe I penned in loving Tsukune as your only goal in life.”

“Don't do that.”

“Am I wrong?”

Kurumu grimaced. That certainly was important but it felt childish to have that stated as her only goal. He should at least add being loved by Tsukune. She sighed.

“I don't know what I want to do. Or what I can do.”

“Moka said something similar.”

The film club trio was slowly walking over towards them. Coach Kotsubo was chatting with the other two teachers as the rest of the boys made their way off the field. He glanced at her, smiling with a wave.

“Do you think everything will be okay with Shirayuki?”

“I hope she doesn't get angry with our neutral stance on this matter. I don't really like Kotsubo.”

“You seemed to get along well.”

“When we did that article last year on this mess, I was informed that Ms. Kiwasama was not his first. Technically it was his first offense, but rumors about him fooling with girls had been circulating since he started work here six years ago. It's always the same type of girl: quiet, reclusive and isolated.”

“But I charmed him. He did not try to have sex with her.”

“That only means he had not gotten to that stage of the relationship yet. It would have happened if she had not stopped him so early.”

Ginei grinned as the film club trio arrived.

“Not saying that he's lying, but that there's no reason to assume he had good intentions.”

“What's this about, Ginei?”

“Oh, shamelessly flirting with girls and leading them into dark alleys to do naughty things.”

“I see you haven't changed.”

Sangi cocked her head and grinned at Kurumu.

“This dog giving you trouble?”

“He is trouble. You seem familiar with him.”

“Ginei was part of my homeroom last year. As was Oyanagi here.”

The heavyset boy nodded, looking up from his camera.

“Is that your surname?”

The boy grinned, his thick lips turning up slightly. His voice had a thick, nasal accent.

“Yes. Oyanagi Neneki.”

“The infamous other lab partner.”

Ginei chuckled.

“Actually no. Oyanagi was in the next group. We had Miyamoto.”

“Another girl?”

Sangi laughed, shaking her head.

“Miyamoto Haiji, captain of the Karate club.”

“Captain? I thought he had three seniors.”

“The guy that was supposed to run it bowed out at the last minute and asked Miyamoto to do it. You know he can't turn down a request.”

“Oh, I know Haiji. I was starting to wonder why he hadn't visited.”

“Aww, are you missing your old accomplice in crime?”

“Not at all.”

Kurumu grinned.

“What were the two of them up to?”

“If they weren't fighting each other, they were scheming up ways to peep on girls.”

“That's false reporting. My goal was to reveal the numbers.”

Sangi smirked.

“This fool tried to break in and steal the growth charts from our physical exam.”

“That should be public information. My duty as a journalist was in question.”

“That's creepy.”

“It was at night, so you can't say it was peeping.”

“Sure. Shall we head on up to the computer room?”

“Actually, I was thinking of heading back to my dorm.”

Kamitsuku pulled out the small memory drive from his camera. He smiled, stepping closer to hold it out to Kurumu.

“Sure thing. What about you, Oyanagi?”

“Mr. Hatsutori wanted some help in his studio.”

As the husky boy wheezed out his answer, Kurumu took the small drive, slipping it into her pocket. She grabbed Kamitsuku by the shoulder before he could move away.

“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Kamitsuku frowned, pausing.

“Maybe. Are things okay between you and Tsukune?”

“… Yea. Why wouldn't they be?”

He laughed nervously as Ginei and Sangi started walking away. Oyanagi nodded to them before walking off in a different direction.

“Are you coming, Kurumu?”

“I'll catch up.”

Kamitsuku fidgeted with his camera, looking at the ground. He waited for the others to cross the lanes of the track before lifting his head.

“Well… Moka spent the night with Tsukune.”

Kurumu sighed. She supposed it made sense. Moka would have felt uneasy leaving Tsukune alone in his addled state.

“It's no big deal. I'm sure you saw how Tsukune's been the past couple days.”

“He was out of it. Muttering some math nonsense all the time.”

“Moka gets real tired after eight. She probably passed out before Tsukune came to his senses.”

“Well, if you're okay with it, then good.”

“How is Tsukune?”

Kamitsuku grinned.

“He's not muttering math equations anymore. He was eating lunch with Moka.”

“She wasn't spoon feeding him, right?”

Kamitsuku chuckled, shaking his head.

“No. He was fine enough to eat unassisted.”

“Hey, did Sangi mention a field trip to you?”

“Field trip? No. Why?”

“I guess our club presidents are scheming up some field trip to the human world after midterms.”

“Sounds cool.”

Kurumu smiled. She patted his arm.

“Yea. See you later.”

“Right.”

Kurumu turned about and took off with a slight trot, clutching her notebook to her chest. Not liking the bounce of her unrestrained bosom, she batted her wings hard to shoot up into the air. She batted her wings twice as she flew past the bleachers. She quickly spied Ginei and Sangi making their way about the left side of the building. With another beat of her wings, Kurumu angled down to glide to a spot near the door that opened into the large gym.

There was a notable spike in desire as she settled down on her toes. She checked herself, confirming nothing had slipped out. Twirling about, she smiled as the pair approached.

“You really should not flaunt your true form like that.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at him, curious why she had suddenly piqued his interest. She knew it was only going to be her and Ginei working on the paper today so she hoped he was not thinking anything serious. She smiled at Sangi, noting the brunette was slightly shorter than Ginei.

“So when will this field trip become official?”

“You told her about it?”

“I'll be using her article as leverage to get Ms. Uchikawa to cover for Mr. Umatobi.”

The pair caught up to her. She smiled, turning to walk alongside Ginei as they continued on. He was probably intent on the stairwell that was closest to the computer room, since it had an exterior door.

“It will be fun. I understand Hokuto is a decent sized city. I've never been in a city before.”

“Isn't Gosen the same size?”

“I lived in the district. Not the city.”

“You went to the Gosen junior high?”

“I did.”

“Then you must know my lab partner, Natsudera, from the choir.”

“I might. I'm terrible with names.”

“I know! I forget names all the time.”

“Tell me about it. I carried on a conversation a whole five minutes with this guy I knew from computer class last year. I felt bad every time he said my name because I had no clue whom he was.”

“Natsudera has dark blue hair and a ponytail.”

“That describes so many girls.”

Kurumu sighed, supposing at one time she could have been described as such.

“How about a hetereochromia girl with strawberry curls?”

Sangi laughed.

“Everybody knows about Hinoko. How's that little sweetheart doing?”

“She's doing fine. A little sad about her friends both leaving her.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Kinzoku was one of the girls that went missing last month. I guess she doesn't like it here anymore.”

“Yea, I heard about that. Don't know the girl personally, but not going to hold it against her for getting out after her brush with death.”

Kurumu managed a smile.

“The other girl was a friend she made in her drama club. She did not take the breakup with Inui well.”

“Don't look at me. I'm not responsible for his actions.”

“I'm curious but was he part of your old homeroom.”

Sangi snorted.

“Inui? Thankfully not.”

“I would swear that you called him your classmate.”

Ginei grinned.

“We're in the same grade.”

“If Hinoko ever gets lonely, she is more than welcome to visit. She can find me either in Mr. Umatobi's homeroom or in Ms. Iwasaki's.”

“Iwasaki? Isn't she a math teacher?”

“Mhm. She's also the advisor for the Kimono appreciation club, which Irodori is club president for.”

Kurumu nodded, aware that this was the teacher that was likely to swap homerooms with Ms. Kagome. It was probably too early to mention this.

They had reached the stairwell and Ginei quick stepped to hold the door open for them. He grinned, gesturing for them to proceed.

“How is Ms. Betsutama doing?”

“I'm sure Irodori would tolerate a visit if you're that curious.”

“I'll pass.”

Kurumu grinned as she walked over to the foot of the stairs. They both paused, allowing him to catch up.

“So is there a story there?”

“He happened to barge in while the Kimono club was changing.”

“It was an accident.”

“The door was locked.”

“A forceful accident.”

Kurumu sighed as they made their way up to the landing.

“I was starting to think you could be popular with the girls, but it sounds like you're a creep.”

“They leave out the part that I jumped out the window. It was obvious I was passing through.”

“Yes, you conveniently picked their club room as your means of escape from Kitajima.”

“Well it worked.”

Sangi laughed.

“Kitajima wasn't about to run through a class full of naked girls. That was calculated.”

Ginei chuckled.

“Well… things have calmed down now that we aren't all in the same homeroom.”

“True. We were voted the most troublesome first year class.”

“There was a poll for that?”

“It was a silly thing we ran for the teachers at the end of the second term.”

“Was Koike part of your class?”

“He was. As was Mika. Still can't believe you turned that girl down.”

“Ah yes. Ms. Hajihachi. I greatly regret that decision.”

Kurumu grinned as they reached the top of the stairs. She surmised this was one of the two girls Ginei had turned away because of her former girlfriend.

“Oh? Is she beautiful?”

“She's gorgeous.”

“She's noisy. Nakamoto was kind enough not to tell the whole school I had a girlfriend.”

As they turned down the hallway, Sangi huffed, crossing her arms below her modest bosom.

“That's important information. We can't have you boys pretending you're available.”

“I never pretended I was single.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Well, you are now. Unless you're lying about being dumped.”

Ginei grimaced.

“Now that's mean spirited. I'm an honest guy.”

“So you're single now? Hmm. That is news.”

“I'd rather you not go around telling people that, Mitsuki.”

“Why not?”

“It would be a hassle.”

They walked a bit in silence till they reached the first door to the computer lab. Ginei slid the door open and they made their way across the room to the terminal that Tora frequently used. It was the one that had all their newspaper software on it. Sangi set a memory drive next to the keyboard before fumbling to remove the drive from her own camera.

“We should think about getting the old class back together one of these weekends.”

“I don't miss it.”

Sangi sighed, sitting down at the computer and turning it on.

“Well, unlike me, you have a few familiar faces. I heard Ms. Shikichi volunteered for class rep again.”

Ginei smirked, resting his hand on the back of the chair.

“Of course. She likes bossing people around.”

“I trust you aren't giving her as much trouble as last year.”

“I sit all the way back in the corner to keep my presence to a minimum. She made it abundantly clear about not wanting to associate with me.”

“What about Ms. Tashiro?”

“She sits with Shikichi so we don't chat.”

“Class reassignments suck. I didn't know anybody in my new homeroom and my club was a mess. Couldn't get any of the seniors to take over and ended up doing it myself.”

“At least you had seniors.”

“It doesn't feel like it. I've seen Hatsutori a couple times but he doesn't stick around for meetings. Normally it's dropping in to ask for help at his studio. I only know Kirameku is alive because he's in the same homeroom as Hatsutori.”

“You could have turned things over to Ms. Chouda.”

Sangi laughed, shaking her head. She plugged the memory device into the port.

“That's cute. Really.”

Kurumu pulled Kamitsuku's memory stick out of her pocket and placed it next to the keyboard.

“You'll invite her to come along, right?”

“Sure. Since she's in the same homeroom as Uchiyama's sister, he's been fetching her for every meeting. No idea why, but the first years love that quiet girl. She's like our mascot.”

“Speaking of which, what happened to Uchiyama. He didn’t feel like coming today?”

“Molting. He's been out the past couple days.”

Kurumu chuckled. She had never known a boy to duck out of class because his feathers were nasty.

“How many of your club do you think will show up?”

Sangi navigated the screen, pulling files out of one folder and dropping them into another.

“Pretty sure Oyanagi and three of my first years will show up. No idea what happened to our fourth. Heard he got homesick or something.”

“What about the other second years?”

“I don't know what those two are doing. I've spoken with Kuroishi a couple times but he's not all that interested in taking pictures. He wants to film something. I don't know if this trip will be good for that.”

Sangi yanked out the memory drive, switching it out with the one from her camera.

“As for Tatsumaki… well… He's always been more interested in watching movies and critiquing our stuff than doing anything useful. I haven't tried talking to him since he ducked out of helping with our booth at the club fair.”

“Definitely get Kuroishi to come along. I'm sure he can film something that you guys can work with later on during the year.”

“I’ll try talking with him. We could get some footage for whatever we end up doing at the cultural festival. Maybe mix it up with something we do over summer break.”

Ginei chuckled, patting Sangi on the shoulder.

“Maybe you'll get lucky and have a small film about the ghost that haunts the sunflower field.”

“That would be amazing.”

Sangi pulled the other drive out, holding her hand up to Kurumu. Smiling, Kurumu picked the drive up from next to the keyboard to hand it to the girl.

“I know I've said it, but it has been a lot of help having your club around. It spares me the trouble of taking all the boring pictures.”

Sangi snorted.

“I only agreed to help because one of our first years asked and we had nothing better to do. It was either this or follow Tatsumaki's stupid idea of watching a movie as a club once a week.”

Kurumu smiled, wondering if that was truly all there was to it. It did not seem like Sangi had any personal interest in Ginei beyond nostalgia. She frowned as Ginei's hand casually brushed her temple.

“What?”

“I was worried you felt left out.”

She smirked as Sangi finished moving the files off the last memory drive.

“I don't mind. It's cute watching you flirt with an old friend.”

“You must have a broad definition for flirting.”

Sangi laughed, getting up from the chair. She stowed the memory drives into the right front pocket of her corduroys, picking her camera up and hanging it about her neck.

“Well, I will leave you be so you can torment your new friend.”

“You're leaving?”

“Is there a reason for me to stay?”

“Is Kurumu suddenly worried about being alone with her president?”

Kurumu smirked as she lifted her tail, wagging the spade end at him.

“I think I can manage.”

Sangi chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.

“It's been fun, Ms. Kurono. If you want any more dirt on this mutt, you know where to find me.”

Sangi walked out of the room, lifting a hand to wave before closing the door behind her. Her footsteps carried down the hall in the direction of the stairwell they had come up in.

“It's all lies.”

Kurumu smirked as she stepped over to plop her bottom atop the seat. She set her notebook aside, grabbing the mouse and checking through the article folder.

“If she mentions the janitor closet, there was a good reason for that. As for streaking about the school, that was a misjudgment on my part. I thought it was a safe bet. Humans would have never noticed it.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

“You did what?”

“Those guys had a field day with me. I'd never been to a monster school before.”

“I don't want to know.”

She clicked on what was most likely her soccer article, flipping her notebook open. She sighed as he placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them firmly.

“What are you doing?”

“Showing a little affection for my hard working junior.”

“I guess. But I'll know if you start thinking dirty so you may as well give it up.”

“I was thinking your shoulders might be sore from carrying around such a heavy burden.”

She sighed, acknowledging it did feel nice. She wished Tsukune would do this.

“I'm fine. I know things have been crazy this past week, but I'm sure the worst is over.”

Ginei chuckled.

“And here I was thinking about the more obvious pair of weights barely contained by that top.”

Kurumu smirked.

“You'll be single forever with comments like that.”

“I hope not. That would break my poor mother's heart.”

“I think your reputation would put her in an early grave.”

“That's morbid.”

She groaned as she felt his thumbs push delightfully against a sore spot.

“Stop. I need to write this thing.”

“There's no hurry.”

“Well I want to be done so I can eat dinner with Tsukune tonight.”

“Such a lucky guy. Spends all day with Moka waiting on him hand and foot. Then he will spend the night with his girlfriend.”

“Tsukune doesn't flirt with every girl that walks by him.”

“Fair point.”

She sighed, not wanting to move while he was doing that to her shoulders. She rested her fingers on the keyboard, staring at the screen.

“What's your mother like?”

“Like a mother.”

“Obviously. Do you ever think you could disappoint her?”

“I don't fret over things like that. My mother loves me too much. I could murder someone and she'd help me hide the body.”

“Yea. I think my mother is like that.”

“My dad's a different story. He had no problem scolding me about my poor behavior in Junior High. He was all for sending me away to this school. Said it would do me good.”

“I thought you came here under some teacher's suggestion. The one you had a crush on.”

“I did. My parents aren't tied that close to the monster realm. My mother was a runaway and my dad's a simple used car salesman. Sending me off to a monster school like Yokai was the farthest thing from their minds. Good thing though as I doubt any human high school would have taken me.”

“But Tora said you were in the top quarter of your class.”

“Passing the entrance exam wasn't the problem. I had a history of disciplinary issues that most schools refused to put up with.”

“Is your dad a human?”

“Yep.”

“Siblings?”

“Nope. My mother had a big scare when having me in the house. It's one of those things every monster trying to live in the human world has to deal with. You can't show up at a hospital without Fairy Tale catching wind of it.”

“I still feel silly not knowing about Fairy Tale until coming to Yokai.”

“I didn't know Fairy Tale by name until I got here. Back then it was always 'them' I had to worry about.”

“Makes sense.”

“Anyways, my mother didn't want to tempt fate so my father had his balls snipped.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“You honestly didn't think they'd stop having sex because of little ole me.”

“Is your mother a werewolf?”

“Nope. She's an okami.”

“How does that work?”

“Well… the mommy wolf wags her bottom and lifts her tail waiting for the horny human to put it in.”

“Oh my God.”

Ginei chuckled.

“You asked.”

“I regret.”

His hand lifted up to caress the side of her head above her ear.

“But seriously, I don't know. I understand I'm a rare mix and I'm cool with it. I'm like an okami that gets stronger with the phases of the moon.”

She tapped her fingers on the keyboard.

“You know I never met my father.”

“I could be your daddy.”

She sighed, lifting her arm to jab her elbow back in his direction. He chuckled, withdrawing his hands to evade the strike.

“Okay with that crude remark, share time is over. Go fetch me something from a vending machine.”

Ginei laughed, stalking out of the room with a confident air.

* * *

Kurumu rapped the back of her hand against the glass door. The sun was slipping below the tree line as the hour steadily approached seven. She had stuck around after finishing her article to watch Ginei arrange the photos and put the finishing touches. Satisfied, he had let her read over the articles written by the others before they ran three prints for the student council and faculty to review.

The front page was littered with panoramic pictures of the PSC temple where they had fought, though the main article was Tora’s piece hunting for new members of the PSC. They had merged her article with Ginei’s, brushing over the details as a matter of corruption that forced the expulsion and dismissal of half the student police and Yokai’s appointed chief of security. The focus was more on what the PSC needed and how it would operate in the future.

Naturally Kurumu helped Ginei correct his summaries about their club members. Clearly Tora had not proofread that silly article, considering Tsukune’s hobbies had included being chased by girls. While it had been worth a laugh, she reminded Ginei that she planned to send a copy to her mother and did not want such incriminating things said about her boyfriend.

Thanks to her knowledge of her friends, it had not taken much effort to fix that comical presentation into something respectable. She left any of the facts that looked like genuine answers, curious if Tsukune was serious about becoming an artist. She suspected that was not a reliable source of income, meaning she would need to start thinking seriously about what career she wanted to pursue in order to support him.

While Tsukune’s article had been as heartwarming and gentle as she had anticipated, the real surprise had been Yukari’s under the countertop piece. It was a simple yet effective talk about the struggles in daily life for a short girl. She had protested about Ginei burying it on the last page, but he had defended his choice, saying it matched the theme. It was a small article tucked away at the bottom where nobody would notice.

The rest of the paper was forgettable. While Moka’s article was decent, neither teacher had given the vampire much to work with. Kurumu imagined many girls would be disappointed to read how boring Ms. Hitori was. She had expected a little more than some monotonous daily routine that included drinking and watching prerecorded soap operas from the nineties. The only notable quote was Hitori’s remark about how being around a few centuries kind of makes one indifferent to everything.

It had been late enough to go straight to dinner after finishing up with Ginei. She had made a point to fetch her letters from the mailbox, since she had forgotten to all week. There had been two, one being timestamped before her letter had gone out. She hoped it would not be as painful to read as that May 9th letter. Not wanting to deal with that, she had gathered up her laundry into her hamper and headed over to the boys’ dorm.

Aware that she would meet up with half the club, Ginei had instructed her to tell the others that there would be no club meeting tomorrow. She had invited him to come along but he was not interested in religion and knew Tora was sensitive about her true form. He admitted he would be hanging out in the arcade around three so if they happened to bump into him, he would not turn away their company.

Kurumu scooted the hamper out so it would not be in the way of the door swing. She knocked on the glass pane again, pressing closer to the door. With the new masonry additions, it was harder to be casually noticed. She sighed, hoping she would not have to wait long.

A shiver trickled up her spine as she felt some boys come up the stairs. She glanced in their direction, quickly noting the familiar tee Kamitsuku had worn this afternoon. He was walking up the stairs with Tanboshi, whom was wearing a silky tank top jersey of sorts that hung over his black, knee length shorts.

“Hey, Kurumu.”

“Hey, Kamitsuku. Aku.”

The two boys came up to the landing. As Aku approached with his card, Kurumu moved out of his way and gripped the upper lip of her hamper. She hauled it up to nestle below her breasts, wrapping her arms about it.

“I don’t think they’ve gone to dinner yet.”

“Moka’s still here?”

Kamitsuku nodded as Aku swiped the card through the slot which released the door. He tugged it open, allowing her to enter first. Getting through the door was easy enough in her human form, though she had left her tail out to keep these silly shorts on. As always, the fragrance of Gomitsuro reminded her why it was so much better hanging around with the girls.

“I hope she hasn’t sucked him dry.”

Tanboshi chortled as Kurumu paused at Kamitsuku’s door.

“What’s so funny?”

Kamitsuku chuckled, shaking his head.

“It’s nothing.”

“You know she’s a vampire.”

Tanboshi snickered as Kamitsuku sighed.

“Blood isn’t the only thing that can be sucked.”

Kurumu rolled her eyes, feeling more flush about not catching the joke than the thought of such a thing happening. There was no way Moka would be doing that.

“You two need girlfriends.”

Tanboshi patted his round belly.

“If you can find a girl able to handle all of this, I’m ready.”

She leaned back against the wall, shaking her head.

“I think you’re on your own there.”

“So what did you think about my brother?”

“Gruff. Wasn’t interested in talking.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Has your brother ever dated anyone?”

Tanboshi snorted.

“Of course not. Even if a girl took a liking to his looks, she’d run the other way the moment he talks.”

Kurumu smiled, glancing at Kamitsuku.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“I noticed Okimune was from your school.”

“Hey now, that’s way out of my league.”

“Oh?”

“I’d be better trying at some of the girls my age before chasing the daughter of one of our village elders.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Is she unavailable?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Then go for it.”

“I would sooner agree to group suicide.”

“The worst that happens is she says no.”

Kamitsuku chuckled.

“Really? I think it would be worse if she said yes.”

Tanboshi slugged the boy in his shoulder.

“You serious?”

“They’re Undines, Kurumu. You realize their parents would never be cool with it. And these parents could cause trouble for my parents. I don’t want that to happen simply because one of them actually says yes.”

Kurumu smiled at the frustrated boy.

“Okay. I’ll cease and desist on the girls from your village.”

“So… about Nerume-“

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

“She’s a Kirin. You have no chance.”

“Okay. What about that cute redhead that’s always stopping in to wake her up?”

“You mean Satsuki?”

He shrugged.

“I guess. I noticed she has cat ears.”

Kurumu sighed.

“I… sure… Good luck.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don’t know Satsuki well enough to give you any advice or encouragement.”

“Fair enough.”

“Why are you suddenly so interested in the girls I hang out with?”

“You’re the one pushing for me to find a girlfriend. I figure those are the ones you could help me with.”

Kurumu nodded, supposing that sounded fair.

“Well… it has been delightful chatting with you. I will consider mentioning you if Satsuki expresses a desire to date a random guy in the near future.”

The two boys chuckled. Kamitsuku thumbed at his door.

“Well I’m about to tackle the home stretch of Front Mission 4. I doubt I will be functional tomorrow morning, so have your laundry fun without me.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head. She pushed off the wall with her shoulders and tail, starting down the hall as Kamitsuku pulled out his keys to unlock his door. Aku walked alongside her as they made their way to Tsukune’s room.

“So what about you, Aku? Any prospects?”

“I honestly haven’t tried. I’m too young to be tied down by a woman.”

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head. It was such a short walk and for some reason Aku had accompanied her to Tsukune’s door. She brought her tail about to push him back toward his door with her spade end.

“Shoo now. I didn’t need an escort.”

She shook her head as he walked over to his adjacent door, snorting out his laughs. She curled her tail about the lower part of the hamper so she could comfortably free up a hand to knock on Tsukune’s door. She waited for Tanboshi to slip into his room before knocking a second time.

“Come on, Tsukune. Open the door.”

The door opened and Moka peered around it. She was still dressed in her school uniform, though the green jacket was parted. There was a slight flush to her cheeks as she glanced away.

“Evening, Moka.”

“Oh, yes. Evening. Is it that late?”

Kurumu glanced at the watch on her wrist.

“It’s a little after seven.”

“Tsukune hasn’t been to dinner yet.”

Moka frowned.

“What’s with the clothes?”

“I’m going to do my laundry with Tsukune.”

Moka glanced at the black wicker basket as Kurumu walked into the room.

“You can’t wash those with him!”

Kurumu sighed, supposing she did have some of her lingerie near the top.

“Well I don’t think he will fit in the washer.”

Tsukune was slumped against the wall upon his bedding with Moka’s study guide in his hands. His complexion was pale and there were a pair of bite marks at the base of his neck. He slowly turned the pages of the notebook with his thin lips turned up in a slight smile. He was dressed casually in denim jeans and a white tee, which made sense. Kamitsuku had mentioned Tsukune being functional during the lunch hour.

“Was he okay before you felt like sucking his blood?”

“He said I could, Kurumu.”

“Well… you took too much. He’s not going to make it to dinner.”

“We could take him together.”

Kurumu set her basket up against the wall near him. She stepped over his body and knelt down on his left side. She smiled as she reached over to brush his bangs aside.

“You should go home, Moka.”

“But he should eat.”

“You need to bathe and change clothes. Maybe have dinner if Tsukune’s blood wasn’t enough.”

“We can all go to dinner.”

“Can I be alone with him a little? You’ve been watching over him the whole day.”

Moka pouted.

“Should you be doing your laundry with him?”

Kurumu sighed, tapping Tsukune’s nose.

“Moka, please go. It’s late. I’m not carrying you back to the dorms if you pass out while eating at Kurai.”

Moka frowned, regarding the basket intently.

“Kurumu. What you said yesterday. About Tsukune’s feelings for me.”

“Ms. Kagome was trying to make Tsukune forget you entirely. I used my charm to reverse that.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Kurumu grinned, wagging her hand at the girl.

“Yea, you should be for hogging him all day and then not leaving the room when I get here.”

“No. I meant-“

“Go, you silly girl. We can talk tomorrow at breakfast.”

Moka smiled.

“Okay then. Tomorrow.”

The vampire slowly turned about and slipped around the door. She tugged it shut behind her.

Finally alone, Kurumu got back up and walked about the room. She opened the closet door and pulled out his black mesh bag of dirty laundry. Slinging this over her shoulder she fetched his CD player and his two Spitz CDs. She could not remember if she had listened to this Hayabusa album, quite certain she had not listened to the Mikazuki Rock.

Leaving his closet open she wandered back over to his side. She tossed the mesh bag next to her basket. Turning the CD player over in her hands, she turned about and slid down the wall to sit beside Tsukune. She leaned her head upon his shoulder as she pushed an earpiece into her left ear. She decided to slip the Mikazuki CD in first, setting it to play.

This was comfortable. She reached over to tug his left hand away from the study guide he was dimly regarding. She entwined her fingers in his, resting her hand on his left thigh. She took in a deep breath as the soothing music of the first song played. She wondered how many songs it would take for him to fully recover from Moka’s bite. She wondered how long he had been in this debilitated state. The last time Moka’s bite had caused this long of a stupor had been that first time she had declared him her boyfriend.

Sawatte Kawatte. She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. She closed her eyes, wondering what he would say when he snapped out of this. She supposed there was even a chance he might think this all a dream and do things he normally would not do. That might be nice. That might be horrible.

It was in the middle of Hanemono that he began to stir. She heard him take in a deep breath before his body relaxed against the wall. He set the study guide aside.

“Kurumu?”

“Mhm?”

“Where’s Moka?”

“It’s late. She had to go home to sleep.”

“What time is it?”

Kurumu set the CD player aside, holding her wrist up to him. It was about half past seven. He sighed, lifting his hand to rub his head.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“What were you doing with Moka all day?”

“Studying.”

“Did you really need that much help?”

Tsukune chuckled.

“I don’t think she would have taken no for an answer.”

“You better learn to tell her no. One day she’s going to ask to be your girlfriend.”

“I doubt that.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“Okay.”

He shifted, turning slightly to touch the side of her face.

“Are you okay?”

Kurumu shrugged as this next song kicked off with a rather simple, yet catchy tune. She liked the monotone delivery. Escargot. Interesting.

“Kurumu?”

“Do you want to have sex?”

“I… why would you ask that?”

“Because girlfriends have sex with their boyfriends.”

Tsukune sighed heavily, slumping back against the wall as his hand went back to his forehead.

“Well, yea, but why now?”

“It’s fine. I know you’re tired.”

“Kurumu?”

She sighed, unsure what she wanted right now. She had no idea what was going on with her body. She had no idea what was going on with Shirayuki.

“Do you remember anything from Ms. Kagome’s lessons?”

“Not really.”

“So you don’t know what she was trying to make you do.”

“What happened?”

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

“Kurumu?”

“She tried to make you forget Moka. I fixed that.”

Tsukune squeezed her hand.

“Yea. It’s this lingering whisper in my head telling me that I love Moka.”

“Is it wrong?”

“No. But I’m sure I love you just as much.”

Kurumu smiled, aware that she had said that.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“I feel like I’ve made things difficult for you.”

Tsukune laughed.

“And that’s new?”

“I suppose it isn’t.”

“Can I have my hand back?”

Kurumu frowned, giving his left hand a squeeze.

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“What will you do with it?”

“Thinking I will need it to start the laundry.”

“Nope.”

“Aren’t you here to do laundry with me?”

“I’m here to be with you. Laundry is just an excuse.”

“So what can I do to have my hand back?”

“Caress me.”

This other song was also kind of nice. Actually so had been that last one. Haruka and Garbera. She liked this band.

“Where?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are you wanting caressed?”

She could tell by the slight rise in interest that he was thinking of naughty places. She was fine with that.

“Where do you want to caress me?”

He sighed.

“You can’t answer every question with a question.”

“I’m fine with whatever you want.”

There was a decent pause, long enough for the song to end. He gestured to the floor.

“Could you lie down?”

“Yea.”

She scooted away from the wall, keeping his hand in hers as she started to lower to the floor beside him.

“I meant on your stomach. Could you lie down with your feet against the wall?”

She frowned.

“You’re not going to leave the moment I let go of you?”

“I promise.”

She sighed, turning off the player. She had almost finished too. She would have to keep a mental note that she had not listened to the last song on this one. Letting go of his hand, she tugged the earpiece out and popped the CD out, slipping it back in its case. She put the player and both CDs in his lap.

Breathing deep, she leaned forward as she swung her legs back. Her tail slithered to the side as she turned over. Rolling onto her front, she cupped her elbows to lower down on her tits. Tucking her chin on her forearm, she touched her toes to the wall.

“Are you wearing panties?”

She giggled, aware these things were tucked into her cheeks so there would be no panty line in the back.

“They’re thongs. I’m sure you can see the bit of fabric at the top. I can feel it against the base of my tail.”

His weight settled down on the back of her thighs. She frowned as she felt his hands rub her tail.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m caressing your tail. Is that okay?”

She sighed. Of all the things he could have picked.

“That's about as fun as having my knee or elbow rubbed.”

His hands paused.

“Does it hurt?”

She shook her head as she reached back. His weight scooted back as his hands slipped up the length of her tail, perhaps concerned. Her fingers quickly found the sewn in snaps, popping the two above her tail apart. Her hands drifted lower to address the other two.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

As this used to be an elastic pair, there was nothing to address in the front. She poked her butt up as she gripped the sides of her shorts, tugging the fabric down till it pushed upon his thighs. Her body shivered at the surge of lust inspired by this view. She brought her arms back to where they had been, preferring the warmth of her forearm over the floor.

“Why must you make this difficult?”

Kurumu wiggled her ass, liking the response.

“You know, I went to the hospital today.”

There was a sudden halt of desire.

“Is everything okay?”

“I needed some tests. Ms. Sasayaki is trying to help me figure out some things about my body.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, though his heart simmered with desire.

“That's good. As long as you’re not hurt.”

“She had to clean me up.”

“Why?”

“Just because. Now I’m all clean and ready. You don't have to worry about a silly hymen anymore.”

Even though she felt this increase in desire for her, he sighed heavily. He scooted over the pulled down fabric, resuming his gentle caress across her tail.

“If it’s all the same, I want to keep my focus on your tail and wings.”

“My wings?”

“I want you to know that I like you being whom you are. You don't have to be human for me. I'm fine with the differences. I'll accept anything you learn about yourself.”

She smiled, slowly letting her wings push out from her back. He could touch them all he wanted.


	11. Waiting on Decisions

May 17th

My little troublemaker

I have enclosed six thousand yen and have deposited another ten thousand in your depleted account. Since you are unwilling to communicate with me, you cannot protest this decision.

I paid that bill that I mentioned in my last letter. I noticed there was an extra charge for customization, so I ordered three more uniforms requesting the same modifications. For some reason it cost less to have these shipped to the school store, so you will be notified when they arrive. It seems I was right that you needed seven uniforms but you were so stubborn about only needing five.

I wish I knew what was going on, but it is so difficult to contact Yokai without the speakers. I suppose I have some blame in that, but that was four years ago. She can refuse working with me but to have her subordinates also deny my use of their services is ridiculous. It’s not like I could use the human phone system in a spiritual realm cut off from the world. The only indications that I have that you are even alive are the weekly statements on your lunch balance and the monthly statement on your bank account.

Apparently you were not the only teenager from Kengamine to attend Yokai. His parents are quite upset at me, claiming that I have ruined their boy’s life somehow. It is becoming rather difficult for me to justify living in this awful place much longer. Without you here, it feels so pointless.

I will be spending the rest of the week in Niigata. Don’t worry. School policy won’t allow me to set foot in Mononoke without approval from the Headmaster. I will be sure to be back in time to respond to any mail you might graciously send my way. If you find it in your heart to forgive me.

I’m thinking of moving. I plan to check and see if there are any abandoned homes in Hekitawa that I might be allowed to live in. It’s possible that they won’t be too displeased with my return and will at least allow me the services of a speaker so that I can communicate with the staff of Yokai.

Hekitawa was close to the human village of Kanose, which I understand has become part of the new town of Aga. If I am turned away, I will check out any available homes in the new municipality. I’m certain if I ask around some kind gentleman will direct me to the local real estate agent and I may be able to negotiate a contract that won’t be too financially demanding.

Please bear with this decision. I’m sure you have no desire to return to Kengamine, so a move such as this would be in both of our best interests. You would not have to travel as far for your summer break and might even be able to visit any friends you are making. With any luck I could make this move before the end of June.

I don’t know what else I can do for you. I will patiently hope for your response.

* * *

May 25th

😇 😇 😇 My sweetest angel 😇 😇 😇

I’m so relieved that you responded. You have no idea how much this means to me.

Before I get carried away talking about the things you are doing, these pictures included are of our new home. The elder of Hekitawa was tolerant of the idea of me taking residence in that place, mostly due to this not being within their territory. The humans abandoned this home twelve years ago so it’s not shielded from the human world. We could have satellite services and power if I can get that generator up and running. I remember how my stepfather struggled with theirs all the time.

As you can see, there are no roads here. I got permission for our mail to be delivered to the village itself. Hekitawa is small enough that the service flies in and drops everything at the community center building. Go ahead and start directing your mail here.

I’ll be spending the next few weekends transporting all of our things to our new home. I have no idea how I will move some of the larger items like my vanity. I may just leave anything I can’t break down.

You don’t have to worry about me having any of those relations with the village. They’re not charging me a yen to live here. There will be costs, but I can make the short trip to Aga to cover that. I may even find myself a strong man to help fix up this place before you arrive.

So where do I even start? Thank you for the paper. I’m astounded that you are part of such an important club. The school paper has always been a cornerstone of Yokai Academy. I’m proud that you authored this article with so many girls. I would have never had the courage to do something like that.

I’m pleased that you are making friends with these other girls. I guess this is because you quickly settled on a guy so they don’t feel intimidated. Of course there will always be that one girl that makes your life difficult because she insists your man is hers. Though I suppose that I was that one girl.

The yuki’onna retrain their maiden names. When I met Tsurara whom was also part of our little broadcasting club, all she ever did was complain about her arranged marriage with Kentou. I never understood why she was so upset with such a wonderful young man. He was kind, patient and irresistible. My heart would flutter every time he walked in the room.

By the second term, it seemed like every conversation with Tsurara turned into an argument. I wanted her to leave him. I understood she had this duty to her village and I tried so hard to get her to look for love somewhere else. I didn’t realize how little time we had.

They came back from winter break married. I felt so lost and betrayed. It hurt to see them together. It felt like I was dying from the inside. It was so bad that I could not bring myself to attend club meetings for the rest of my first year.

I suppose you might wonder what I did during my school breaks, being a ward of Fairy Tale with no home to return to. This would be how I became such close friends with Shizuka. Shizuka doesn’t have any brothers and her human father had passed away from illness when she was eleven. Having no male figure in her life, she was the perfect friend for me to impose upon.

Now Shizuka was not part of our club, but she was in the same homeroom as Tsurara and Kentou. She saw their dynamic as much as I did. She politely remained neutral about which of us should have him, though she clearly favored Tsurara after the marriage.

I don’t know why Kentou reached out to me. If he had simply been happy with his marriage, things would not have turned out the way they did. It wasn’t even a matter of them not loving each other. I know this. They both held onto a feeling of resentment that they had not been given a choice.

You could say I stole him from her. Little by little, my charm won him over. By our third year, it was clear that their marriage was a lost cause. I still don’t know how she continued to be so nice to me. We argued about him. We fought about him. But we never hated each other. Is that strange?

When things fell apart with your father, I tried to give him back to her. I wanted to, because I hoped she could fix what I had broken. But I guess her village had immediately remarried her. And her new husband had been adamant about her fulfilling her responsibility of bearing children. She was eight months along with the girl you mentioned and could not shoulder that burden. Thankfully his parents were kind enough to let him stay, as long as I promised to never speak to him, or anyone in their village, again.

I sometimes wonder what happened to your father. There’s a broken part inside me that knows he is no longer with us. It’s this dead weight within my chest that still beats only because I have you.

I want you to be careful, Kurumu, my baby. It sounds like you are more serious about this boy than you were with Takada, and that frightens me. You’re still young. There’s no reason to have such a strong relationship right now. You should focus on your studies and get that college we talked about. You don’t want to make the same mistakes I did.

Please send pictures. I want lots of pictures of you and all of your friends. I’ll make a scrapbook for you to commemorate your first year at Yokai, so don’t hold back.

I’ll try using the speaker in Hekitawa to contact Shizuka, telling her where she can catch me if she ever wants to leave Mononoke. We can have a drink together and catch up on old times.

I feel like I’m forgetting something. I know I’ve written a lot but there’s so much more.

I love you. Be safe. Write soon.

* * *

Kurumu pushed open the heavy door, stepping out into the warm sunlight. She quickly moved out of the path of the door swing, not wanting her wings to bear the wrath of God’s judgment for a succubus to dare enter his hallowed halls. She walked out to the trail, noting the four Tengu girls had gathered about and were entertaining themselves with Tsukune.

Kurumu grabbed her wrist and tugged her arm behind her head, stretching. Her bare breasts pushed dangerously against the confines of her pastel green tank top. She could feel Tsukune's hope for an accident, despite how quickly he looked away. She pushed out with her wings in a mild attempt to stretch them.

She felt the folded letter slip up in her back pocket. Lowering her hands, she stretched her wings up as she reached around to tug the envelope free of her tight fit custom shorts. Her tail coiled about her left leg as she walked over to Tsukune.

“Do ya think Mr. Big takes offense to a devil in his church?”

Kurumu smiled at Hanetsume. The girl's checkered shirt had been deliberately torn in the back to allow for her wings. The girl had tucked the buttoned up shirt into a pair of baggy jeans that were held up by a belt with a large black buckle. Her sleeves had been rolled back to her elbows.

“I doubt it.”

Tsukune grinned at her, his arms crossed about his chest. He was wearing the outfit she had suggested for him last night, since she had never seen him wear these black cargo shorts which hung down past his knees. He did not care much for them, feeling they were too big and he often needed to tug them back up his waist. The loose, dark green tee was long enough to reach his thighs to ease some of his worry about his boxers showing.

“Sleep in again?”

“Not really.”

Kurumu smirked, aware that Tsukune was not that interested in this church stuff. She did not pay much attention to the service, only bothering to come because Moka made the effort to get her here on time. It was also nice to eat breakfast with Moka and Tora, and the conversation this morning has been fun.

She had read her letters while eating with the two, showing the pictures of her new home. Her mother had also sneaked a picture of herself, grinning and flashing a victory sign while standing on the porch of the dilapidated shack. The place looked like it had been abandoned much longer than twelve years.

Tora figured the house was built by some hermit that had eventually passed away. There were several small homes like this tucked away in remote mountain areas, built by disgruntled humans after losing the Great War. Tora had laughed at the pictures, doubting this home had running water.

“Have you been flirting with these girls?”

All but Honda laughed at the mild accusation. The russet haired girl bowed her head and lowering her frilly black umbrella to obscure her reaction. Her pink, short sleeved Lolita dress had a frilly black, sleeveless vest tied over it. Fingerless black gloves with pink hearts were drawn over her hands and black fishnet stockings stretched down her legs to polished white shoes with black bows.

“More like enduring their teasing.”

Hanetsume chuckled, gesturing to Tsukune.

“Remind this boy here that he can drop the human act. There's no need fer acting so weak.”

“A hundred kilos is not a casual weight to carry around.”

“Catch, Ms. Kurono.”

Dangai chucked one of the blue tubes she was holding. The tallest Tengu girl had a white tank top similar to Kurumu's and a pair of black leggings which betrayed every curve of her hips and thighs. The bit of texture in the front implying the girl was flying commando distracted Kurumu from catching the tube which flopped heavily in the ground next to her. It left an indent in the dirt.

“That was pathetic. A baby could throw harder than that.”

Hanetsume crowed at her friend as Kurumu bent over to pick the tube up. Dangai had two of these tubes tied about the ridge of her wings. The tall girl smirked, hefting the other tube and brandishing it at the jeering girl.

Kurumu grabbed the tube and immediately realized Tsukune's distress.

“You guys aren't thinking of slapping these on Tora?”

“Of course.”

Kurumu shook head, not bothering to pick the thing up since she doubted she could comfortably do it one handed.

“Don't you have anything lighter?”

“Lighter? That's the lightest these things come in.”

Dangai shook her head.

“There's child sized ones that come in twenty five kilo increments.”

Hanetsume snorted.

“As if we'd have those.”

Dangai smiled, gesturing at the tube with the one in her hand.

“These things can be used to build up wing strength.”

Tobuyoku giggled as she absently preened some dull feathers from her wings.

“But that pair is too light. You really need the two fifties to stay in shape.”

The shortest Tengu girl sported a white hello kitty shirt with long pink sleeves. The top was open backed while the front was cropped to bare her bellow button. She was wearing that same micro pair of black shorts from last week.

“They have heavier ones?”

The girls chuckled at Tsukune's remark.

“How much you weigh, Hatoko?”

“Fuck off.”

Tobuyoku giggled.

“Fine then. I'm about forty four kilos so I use two fifties. Ten times over is a good rule of what you need.”

Kurumu shook her head, no longer wondering how this girl was a much stronger flier. She touched Tsukune's arm to pry his attention off the tittering girls. Feeling his eyes, she opened the envelope and held her mother's picture up first.

“That's my mother.”

“You look a lot like her.”

Kurumu shrugged, having heard that comment twice this morning.

“She says she's moving to a small village near Aga.”

“That's the Higashikanbara District. Which village?”

Kurumu smiled over at Tobuyoku.

“Hekitawa.”

“Haven't heard of that one.”

“There's a lot of tiny villages in the countryside. We're both from a small place in Tochibori.”

“Yea, we're almost outside of the Nagaoka district.”

“I'm surprised you're from the country.”

Honda frowned, with black painted lips. She had drawn an ebony teardrop at the corner of her left eye. For some reason she must have felt adventurous and had darkened all her freckles into black dots.

“Is that wrong?”

“Don't let him ruffle your feathers.”

“Isn't Yamanaka from that there new Aga district ya locals talk about?”

“Yea, some large Tengu village near Mt. Mikagura. Both Imano and Yamasaki are also from there.”

“Thought so.”

“Mother said Hekitawa was near Kanose.”

Tobuyoku shrugged.

“I don't know a whole lot of towns and villages outside of my district. There was this big deal about Aga because the humans were combining villages into a town for some reason. Think that became official only a month or so ago.”

“So what are we talking about now?”

Kurumu smiled as Tora and Moka came over to join them. Tora was wearing that peach halter top once again, which Kurumu had been quick to tease the girl over during breakfast. It was the only outfit Tora had which was agreeable with her wings being out. Kurumu had insisted fixing this wardrobe deficit this afternoon before meeting up with Ginei at three.

Dolled up in that black dress which clung tightly about her torso before billowing out at her thighs, Moka smiled at the group. Jeweled crosses dangled from her ears and there was a notable shade of pink gloss drawn across her lips. A crimson tote pressed to her side hung from her slender shoulder.

Hanetsume smirked, gesturing at Tora.

“Get yer wings out, hon. Never be flying if ya spend all yer time cooped up in human form.”

Dangai walked over to the sphinx, wagging the blue tube.

“Ya wrap these things about yer wings like mine are.”

“Guys, I'm serious. That's going to be way too heavy for her.”

Hanetsume hopped over to pick up the tube off the ground.

“Ya never know till ya do it.”

“I'll help put them on yer other side, Nazohashi.”

Tora sighed, glancing at Moka.

“Go on, Tora.”

Crossing her arms below her bosom, Tora closed her eyes and eased her wings slowly out. They were much worse than they had been last week, some feathers immediately breaking free to spiral to the ground about her ankles. The fabric of her shirt strained as the last bit pushed out, letting her wings flex wide open.

“I hate it when they're like this.”

“I know. They get all itchy.”

“It helps if ya sleep topless on yer belly.”

Tora sighed.

“That's so messy. Feathers are everywhere when you wake up.”

“I know. It still itches with them out so why bother?”

“Now ya being a sissy, Michiko. This why ya take so long to molt.”

Dangai glowered at Hanetsume. She stepped around Tora to lift up the class rep's broad left wing. She settled the open slit of the tube upon Tora's wing, causing it to immediately sag.

“Wait! That's heavy!”

“Don't be a baby. This is nothing.”

Hanetsume roughly started fixing her tube about Tora's right wing. The class rep whimpered as she struggled to keep her wings upright. Tobuyoku frowned.

“Have you been doing your stretches?”

Tora panted as she clenched her fists. Dangai was smiling while shaking her head. The tall girl carefully tied the high side nearest the base of Tora's wing first. She then steadily moved down the ridge to tie off the tube in three other spots.

“You really should do your stretches.”

Tobuyoku plucked another feather off her wing, frowning at it.

“Your wings should be out at least an hour a day for preening. That's a convenient time for stretching.”

“She should have them out longer if she's molting. Maybe even take off school.”

Tora managed a pained smile at Honda's comment.

“That is tempting, though I can't while I'm still our class rep.”

Dangai stepped away, finished with her task. With a couple rough tugs, Hanetsume finished the ties on the other wing. The track girl grinned, swatting Tora’s rump. Tora staggered forward a step with her wings sagging at her sides. The class rep grimaced as her small bosom rose and fell with labored breaths.

“Are you going to make it?”

Tora whimpered looking up at her.

“Maybe.”

Kurumu grinned, handing her letters over to Tsukune. She had taken out the yen and stuffed that in her pocket during breakfast. Once he had relieved her of the envelopes, she jumped over to Tora’s side to take the girl’s left hand.

“Can you take her other hand, Moka?”

“That might make it harder.”

Kurumu chuckled at the strained girl.

“It can’t make it worse.”

The vampire smiled, fixing her bag up higher on her shoulder.

“How heavy are these things?”

Tora meekly tried to lift her wings inspiring Moka to reach over and lift. Tora whimpered as Moka effortlessly lifted one side higher than the other.

“That doesn’t feel right.”

“Sorry. That’s not so heavy.”

Moka smiled, letting the wing settle back to its slouched state. She took Tora’s free hand as her bag slipped free of her shoulder. Sighing, she awkwardly fixed it back in place.

“Says the vampire with super strength.”

“Do your wings not move independently?”

“They can, but they reflexively move in unison. It’s like trying to move your pinky finger without moving your ring finger.”

“What are we doing?”

Kurumu shrugged.

“I guess we are exercising before going to town.”

Hanetsume laughed, shaking her head.

“Naw, she walks to town with those. That’s exercise enough.”

“That’s an hour walk from here.”

“Assuming I can walk that fast.”

“Shall we be going?”

Tobuyoku did not wait for a response. She started down the trail, intent on the parking lot. She flexed her wings which caused a few feathers to flutter to the ground.

Honda stepped up beside Tsukune, spinning her umbrella in both her hands. Her wings were stretched down to avoid interfering with her ability to rest the parasol on her shoulder. She nodded towards Tobuyoku, prompting Tsukune to start down the trail beside her. With an apologetic smile, he accompanied the fancy dressed girl.

“Are we taking the road?”

“Less to explain if a teacher happens upon us.”

Hanetsume chuckled as she walked off, easily passing by the meandering Tsukune. She reached her hands back to clasp behind her head as she lazily bobbed her wings.

“Don’t ya get too far ahead, Suzume.”

Kurumu tugged on Tora’s hand as she slowly started down the trail. She smiled as Moka matched her shuffling step. Dangai walked up beside Moka, touching the vampire on the shoulder.

“You should take bigger steps. You’ll cover more ground with the same effort.”

Tora whimpered, squeezing Kurumu’s hand tightly.

“I’m trying.”

Dangai tapped her wrist, nodding at Kurumu.

“Time?”

“Nine thirty two.”

“Try to at least make it to ten.”

“I doubt I could make it to ten with those weights.”

“Ya can’t fly?”

“I can fly but not for a half hour.”

“I thought ya were up in the air fer two hours last week.”

“Mostly gliding and being tossed about.”

“Well… we can leave ya that pair if ya want?”

Kurumu frowned.

“Why?”

“Good fer conditioning. Suzume’s right. That pair is useless. The ones I’m wearing are threes.”

Tora whimpered.

“Dear Lord. How can you carry three hundred kilos a wing?”

“I thought bird wings were hollow. Wouldn’t that break them?”

“We’re not birds, Mr. Aono. Our bones be solid enough.”

Tsukune and Honda were moving at a pace to match theirs, though it looked like the other two were putting quite the lead on them.

“Is it possible to put those things on by yourself?”

Honda shook her head. The back of her dress had been custom tailored for her wings which had a few errant feathers that were losing their color.

“I’ve never been able to.”

“Ya never tried.”

“You asked me to help with yours this morning.”

“Ya weren’t doing anything useful.”

Honda sighed, twirling her parasol.

“You only need enough strength to take off.”

“Staying in the air and slowing yer descent is important.”

“Neither require as much strength as taking off.”

“True that.”

Tsukune smiled, gesturing to Honda’s wings.

“How much weight do you use?”

“I don’t bother.”

Dangai chuckled.

“That’s why she be such a weak flier.”

“There’s no point getting all sweaty every day so I can fly an extra ten minutes. I’m content with what I’m capable of doing.”

Kurumu smiled.

“I kind of feel the same way. I like to fly but I’ve never thought about strengthening my wings.”

“How long did it take ya to learn to fly?”

“About three months before I could take off unassisted.”

“That’s a long time.”

Kurumu giggled.

“Well… my instructor was under my influence so we did things at my comfort level.”

Had it really been less than a year? She had started her flight lessons with Takada last March at the end of her eighth grade year. Damn. It felt like it had been much longer ago.

“You never said it took you that long to learn to fly.”

“You never asked?”

Tora groaned.

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my first term being tortured into flying.”

“Why it take so long? Ya not use weights?”

“Why would I use weights?”

“How else would ya get yer wing strength up?”

Kurumu blushed.

“I sort of held hands and moved my wings a lot.”

Dangai chuckled as Honda glanced over her shoulder.

“That’s how Mother taught me.”

“Ya both preening peacocks. Wings not meant for show, ya know.”

Honda huffed, turning her nose up.

“Whom was your instructor, Kurumu?”

“My first boyfriend, Takada.”

“You had a boyfriend?”

Kurumu paused at Moka’s surprise. Had they never talked about this? How? She was at a loss. It had never come up? She knew she had told Tsukune but he had never told Moka?

“I… um… yea. I sort of charmed a popular guy from my Junior High into being my boyfriend.”

“I wasn’t aware of this.”

Wow. Tora too. Had she kept this from Yukari? Yea… why would Takada ever come up in conversation?

“Am I the only girl here that has had a boyfriend before?”

Dangai chuckled.

“Probably. Most girls that can date and find boyfriends aren’t in high school.”

“That’s a crude observation.”

“She means no disrespect, Ms. Nazohashi. A country girl like her is naturally rude.”

“Not like yer a city girl.”

“You forget Suzume has a boyfriend. Not every girl drops out simply because they have a man.”

They had finally reached the parking lot. Hanetsume and Tobuyoku were up on the road, waiting. Most of the lot was empty as the parishioners that drove had left well ahead of them.

“I’m curious what happened with your first boyfriend.”

“He dumped me after Christmas break.”

Tora frowned.

“But you charmed him.”

“I’m sure I could have changed his mind, but my mother was already making preparations to send me away to Yokai. His parents, whom hated me for the record, were sending him to the local high school. As our separation was imminent, I saw no reason to drag our fake relationship out another three months.”

“I heard from Asuka ya not charming Mr. Aono.”

Kurumu breathed a sigh of relief, pouncing on a chance to change subjects.

“Speaking of Asuka, is everyone on board with attending her birthday party next weekend?”

“Course we are.”

“You would come, Mr. Aono?”

Tsukune laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

“This is the first I’ve heard about it.”

Kurumu smiled, aware that Tsukune had not been in much condition to inform about it.

“I completely forgot about that. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s no big deal, Moka. You’re still coming.”

“Yea, of course.”

“Whom is Asuka?”

Kurumu giggled at Tora’s confusion.

“Asuka is Ms. Shindou from class one.”

“Ah yes. One of your track girls.”

They finally caught up to the other girls. Hanetsume had a wide grin on her face.

“So what’s the class rep plan to do about Shirayuki?”

“My plan is to pass the buck.”

Hanetsume and Tobuyoku both chuckled.

“What happened with Ms. Shirayuki?”

Kurumu sighed. She supposed quite a bit had happened since he had his brain scrambled.

“Nothing serious, Tsukune.”

“Not serious? She put a hole in yer chest.”

“What?!”

“Mystery girl got mad and tried to kill yer chick.”

“Mr. Aono has not been himself these past days, Hatoko.”

“So? He should know his chick bout died.”

“It was just a misunderstanding. Ginei will be releasing an article that covers the whole thing.”

“Pretty words don’t make things right. Girl should be expelled.”

Kurumu sighed.

“They didn’t expel Saizou, so there’s no way they would expel Shirayuki.”

“What ya mean by that?”

“How is that psycho not expelled? Didn’t he attack teachers?”

“He was suspended. I understand he will be coming back to take midterms.”

Tora grimaced.

“Well as my final act as class rep I will demand my seat be swapped with his. Having him next to all of you would be problematic.”

Kurumu smiled at the thought. It would have been nice if Tora had made that switch weeks ago.

“Tomisaki will be sad to see you go.”

“I’m sure he will be able to contain his disappointment.”

Tobuyoku grinned, turning about. She started the walk down the road which prompted Hanetsume to fall in step at her side. The rest of them slowly followed suit.

“So how are you holding up, Ms. Nazohashi?”

“I feel like my wings are about to be torn off.”

“As long as you can still feel them, it’s a good sign.”

“Aren’t any of you the least bit concerned about me dislocating my wing?”

“We take the weights off and your wing heals in a day or two. No worries.”

“I can’t put my wings away if they’re broken.”

“So you miss a day. You’re molting anyways. It’s a perfect excuse.”

“So how long will Ms. Shirayuki be suspended?”

“I heard it’s for the week. They won’t suspend her over midterms.”

The group went silent for a short while. Kurumu was starting to lose feeling in her hand with it clutched so tightly. She sighed, noting another feather flutter free from Tobuyoku’s wing.

“Are you starting to molt, Tobuyoku?”

The girl shrugged, causing another feather to break loose.

“Yes. Probably by next weekend. Kiki too, but she dyed hers yesterday so nobody would notice.”

“It’s not that hard to do. They have a hotel here that you can rent out a room for an hour. It has a nice bathtub perfect for such things.”

“Only you would think to use a hotel for dyeing your wings.”

“Ya know that’s a love hotel ya described.”

Honda huffed, twirling her parasol.

“This town is much too small for such things, Hatoko. There’s no red light district.”

“So how are you feeling, Ms. Kurono?”

Kurumu frowned at Tobuyoku’s inquiry.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Asuka mentioned you were having your period. I understand that’s a dreadful experience.”

Kurumu was aware that Tora and Tsukune were both intrigued by this revelation. She paused, wondering what she wanted to say about this. It was probably best for Ms. Kagome if she kept things simple.

“It wasn’t my period. My body had some weird reaction to something.”

“She said you were bleeding.”

“I don’t know what it was, but I went to the hospital yesterday and had it fixed. I’m pretty sure you can’t get a period fixed with a doctor visit.”

Tora managed a weak laugh.

“That would be nice.”

“You have periods, Tora?”

“Of course I do. Doesn’t everyone?”

Dangai grimaced.

“Course not. Bleeding’s fer ya animals. We Tengu pass eggs.”

“It’s far more sanitary if you can pass them without breaking.”

“Shit hurts like fuck.”

“You should break yours. You’re too tiny.”

“Fuck that. I don’t want that embryo shit in me.”

“So… uh… do you have a period, Kurumu?”

Kurumu smiled at his inquiry. She wondered if this was an appropriate conversation to have around him.

“I don’t think so. I’ve never had a period.”

“Do ya pass eggs?”

“Nope. Ms. Sasayaki has no clue how I have children.”

Tora sighed, shaking her head.

“Ask your mother when you write her tonight.”

“Who says I’m writing her tonight?”

“Because if you don’t write it tonight, you’ll forget and won’t get around to it until next weekend.”

Kurumu shrugged, figuring that might be true.

“What bout ya, Akashiya? Ya must have a period.”

“No.”

Kurumu perked up.

“Seriously?”

“I was made fun of at school because I didn’t know what the other girls were talking about. You can probably imagine what they said since they already hated me for saying I was a vampire.”

“Humans can be despicable creatures. When confronted with something different that challenges their beliefs, they do everything in their power to make it disappear.”

“Didn’t ya grow up with humans?”

“I did, Ms. Hanetsume.”

“Seems harsh but won’t say ya wrong. Know nothings bout that.”

“Humans keep clear of our lands. Hears it uninhabitable. Haven’t met one yet.”

“Well… they’re nothing to be afraid of.”

“That’s what me Pa says. Leave em be and maybe they leave us be.”

Kurumu noticed Honda was walking rather close to Tsukune. He had a nervous air about him, though she supposed it could be the conversation.

“I hope we’re not making you too uncomfortable Tsukune.”

Tobuyoku giggled.

“I admit I forgot we had a boy here. He lacks presence.”

“He was politely not commenting on your crude choice of subject matter.”

Kurumu grinned.

“I noticed you’ve avoided talking about the subject, Honda.”

“I think it common sense not to talk about sex while in the company of a man.”

“We talking bouts blood and eggs, wench. That’s not sex.”

“It’s sexual.”

“Kiki is sensitive about the whole thing. She used to keep her eggs.”

Honda tensed up.

“That’s… personal.”

“Ms. Tobuyoku, please be considerate of your friend and of Mr. Aono’s presence.”

Tsukune forced a laugh.

“I don’t mind. Learning new things about other people isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Kurumu smirked.

“So learning about Moka’s lack of a period intrigued you?”

“I know it intrigues you too, Kurumu.”

Moka sighed.

“I don’t understand why this surprises either of you. A vampire’s power dwells in blood. It would be senseless for a vampire body to eject blood in such a wasteful manner.”

Kurumu smiled. If Moka had known this from the start, she would not have mentioned being ridiculed over not understanding a period. This knowledge had come after the humiliation.

“Time, Ms. Kurono?”

They had walked quite a ways down the road but they still were not near the path that would take them to the tulip field. Kurumu glanced at her watch.

“It’s nine to ten.”

“How are ya, Ms. Nazohashi?”

“Dying.”

“Of embarrassment?”

“I only confirmed that I was a normal girl and that everyone else here is less human than I am. I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Ya want remove the weights or ya think ya can last another ten?”

“Remove. Please.”

Dangai chuckled, signaling for them to stop.

“Help me pull these off her, Ms. Kurono.”

Kurumu nodded, freeing her hand from Tora’s vice grip to slip behind the girl. She fumbled with the straps but the knots were so small and tight. She had no clue how to untie the things and was thinking she might simply slash them through.

“We probably have ya wear weights next week fer longer, since Kiki and Suzume be molting soon.”

Dangai tapped her shoulder with the brace she had pulled off. Smiling apologetically, Kurumu took the heavy thing. It was difficult, but manageable with both her arms. She let the weight rest on her elbows as she clutched the tube to her belly.

“Honestly I prefer the weights over being thrown about like a doll.”

Dangai chuckled, tugging at the strings she had tied.

“Ya want to wear these, Ms. Kurono?”

Kurumu smirked.

“Fuck no.”

“Kurumu.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Moka. Hanetsume sighed, kicking at the dirt.

“Fine, bring em here. I’ll wear the silly training wheels.”

“Ya come here then.”

Dangai pulled the last tie free, tugging the brace off Tora’s other wing. Tora sighed heavily as her wings lifted slightly.

“They hurt so much.”

“Leave em out fer now.”

Tora nodded as she finally let go of Moka’s hand. She tucked her hands in her armpits as she groaned.

“Ya think these work well fer her? Those wings much larger.”

“Should. Muscles are still in the back.”

Hanetsume nodded as she wandered over to them. Holding the tube in one hand, Dangai motioned for her short friend to turn about. She gestured for Kurumu to come over while placing the brace on Hanetsume’s right wing.

“I’ll help you with that, Ms. Kurono.”

Tobuyoku sprung over to take the brace out of her arms. The girl grunted, heaving it as she turned. Kurumu chuckled, stepping in to help hold the tube in place as Tobuyoku started tying the first strap.

“Heavy?”

“Yea. My arms aren’t built for this.”

“Runt has hers put on by me.”

“When do you guys do this?”

“Coach lets us practice on the weekends with our wings out.”

“So what are we doing when we get to Mononoke?”

“I don’t know. Those two are the ones that made the plans.”

“I wanted to eat in a café. The dining hall is not the best food.”

Kurumu grinned at Moka.

“You just want to sink your fangs into something raw again.”

“It is a good eatery. Ginei has taken me there twice.”

“I’m surprised to hear you like it raw, Tora.”

Tora frowned, shaking her head.

“You are incorrigible.”

Tobuyoku chuckled as she finished tying the last of the straps.

“We’re all set here. Shall we continue?”

The group walked a bit in silence as they passed by the path that trailed off to the tulip field. The three Tengu girls took up the lead with Honda and Tsukune in the middle. Kurumu and Moka walked alongside Tora, whom was still making slight groans as she moved her wings slightly.

“I’ve been wondering…”

Tsukune’s cheek were slightly flush as he scratched behind his ear.

“Are you guys paying in cash?”

“Huh?”

“I… well… there’s no services here. It’s not like you can swipe a card in the lunch line.”

Kurumu smiled, supposing Tsukune had not been at the checkout counter when she made her purchase of unmentionables a month ago.

“It may seem a bit archaic, but the stores here use a manual imprinter.”

“Manual imprinter? What’s that?”

“It’s a tool to make a carbon print copy of your credit card. They have speakers contact the banks later to handle the transactions.”

Kurumu smiled, recalling the bulky device. You handed over your card and the clerk set it on a thin piece of paper over a black film. The clerk would draw the top side back and forth, pressing the raised characters into the film. This would leave a shadow version of the cardholder’s name and account number on a white piece of paper beneath the film.

Kurumu smirked at Tora, recalling how wide eyed the sphinx had been when buying her lingerie.

“Tora had no idea what that thing was.”

“Those things are ancient.”

“Monsters have had to use manual imprinters for years.”

“Thank goodness I don’t plan to spend my whole life in these prehistoric bubbles. The modernization of the human world is more suited for my tastes.”

“So… what’s a speaker?”

“You don’t know what a speaker is?”

“Give me a break. I’ve been in human schools most my life.”

Honda smiled.

“A speaker is a person that passes messages from one spiritual community to the next. You speak to a sender and they pass your message to a receiver, whom writes it down. My community leaves all of their messages in the town hall.”

“Where is the speaker services in Mononoke? My mother was banned from ours but she’s moving so that might change.”

Honda shrugged, twirling her parasol.

“Since you’re a student, your homeroom teacher will give you messages.”

“Yea… but how would I send a message?”

“Just give your teacher your message. That’s all I ever do. It’s almost a daily routine for me.”

Tora shook her head.

“The ways of the spiritual world are so behind the times.”

Tsukune grinned.

“Do you own a cell phone, Tora?”

“I do. So does Ms. Zukkutani.”

“I hate not having cell service here. They don’t even have landlines.”

“Wanting to call your parents?”

He smiled at Kurumu.

“Of course. It’s been seven weeks. The letters feel so distant.”

“Do you have a cell phone, Moka?”

“No. My mother has one but said none of us children needed them.”

“She has the money.”

“Well… even if I had one, I couldn’t call her.”

“I was thinking you could call your sisters. It felt like she keeps all of you on such a tight leash.”

“It’s to keep us disciplined.”

“It keeps you isolated.”

“I guess.”

“Don’t cell phones have cameras?”

Tora nodded.

“They do, though picture quality can’t compare to a real camera.”

“I don’t care. Tsukune, you should bring your phone one of these times. You could take pictures of us.”

Honda shook her head.

“Pictures are troublesome. If some human happened to find your phone, what would happen to us?”

“I’m sure Kurumu didn’t mean for Tsukune to take pictures of your true forms.”

Tsukune laughed nervously.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that. I haven’t used my phone at all since realizing it had no service.”

“I wouldn’t mind Mr. Aono taking my picture without my wings.”

Kurumu chuckled, wondering about this girl. She was about Moka’s height and was the most endowed of the Tengu girls. She could not compete with Moka on that, but it was good enough.

“Ginei mentioned we should buy swimsuits.”

Kurumu frowned at Tora.

“When?”

“Friday night after your incident. He said he had some plans and wants everyone in our club to buy a swimsuit. That includes you, Tsukune.”

“Is this concerning that trip with the film club?”

“He told you about that?”

“Just yesterday.”

“What’s this about a trip?”

Kurumu smiled.

“Our president is planning to take us on a little adventure to the human world after midterms.”

“We can do that?”

“Ginei and I were talking over dinner last Wednesday, trying to come up with a direction for the next newspaper.”

“Ginei took you out to dinner?”

Tora blushed.

“I… we had Kana with us. Anyways, we were discussing ideas for our next articles.”

Honda twirled her parasol.

“That sounds like a lot of fun. It’s tiresome to be cooped up in a cage.”

Kurumu grinned.

“Well, it’s only for our two clubs.”

“I know. Can I still buy a swimsuit? It is a new year.”

“Do you swim?”

“No. You don’t need to swim to have a swimsuit.”

“That’s what I tried telling Moka. We’re getting you a suit today.”

“I… okay.”

“Ginei said we could find swimsuits at a place called Change of Seasons.”

“We should do this immediately after lunch. I don’t want to shop for a swimsuit with Ginei hanging over my shoulder.”

“Sounds fair. You said he would be near the arcade around three, so we have a lot of time to kill.”

Kurumu nodded. She saw that the trio of girls were chatting animatedly over something, but they were far enough ahead that they could only hear the loudest huffs of indignation. It sounded like they were bickering over which color for attire was the most flattering. Naturally the two country girls were in favor of earth tones while Tobuyoku was defending her more flamboyant wardrobe.

“I’m curious about the dress, Honda.”

“What about it?”

“Why? It’s not casual clothing.”

“It’s pretty. My mother ordered it online for me.”

Tsukune frowned.

“You had internet?”

“The library has internet and we had it delivered to an acquaintance of ours whom has a city address.”

“Okay.”

“The internet is such a fascinating thing. I want to be a web designer.”

“That’s amazing. I’m still undecided.”

“That’s not what Ginei’s article said. Something about being an artist.”

“I couldn’t say I had no idea. I’ve always been good at drawing, so I might try to see if I can make a living from that.”

“Tsukune does have the best artwork of the class. Ms. Sano has nothing but praise for his work.”

“That’s the new art teacher?”

Moka smiled.

“She teaches third year English and is also the manga club’s advisor. I’ve been talking with Kana and we think that would be a good choice for my next article.”

“Kana mentioned that the other day.”

“What about you, Ms. Kurono? Do you have any ideas about your future?”

Kurumu chuckled, recalling Ginei’s playful remarks.

“I haven’t decided. What do you think, Tsukune? Reporter or nakoudo?”

“Matchmaker? Is that a profession?”

“It can be if she makes a lot of connections.”

Tora chuckled.

“She certainly is nosy enough to be one. Though I question how good of one she would be.”

“Well if you do end up with Ginei, I shall consider you my first success.”

Tora groaned.

“Stick with reporter, Kurumu.”

They all had a good laugh.

* * *

Kurumu knocked on the door etched with 317 which belonged to Yukari. The sconce mounted above the door was assaulted by all sorts of winged insects. Kurumu absently ran her thumb behind the strap of her schoolbag which hung about her torso, her curled fingers sliding across the other strap side.

The suites was a complex of two story buildings gathered about in four connecting circles. Having flown here, the arrangement was like a four leaf clover, with the stem being the trail that stretched off towards the school. Each petal was ringed by four apartment buildings while a small, squat structure stood in the center. It was her understanding that these smaller buildings were commissaries which allowed the seniors the freedom to buy goods for use in their kitchens.

Kurumu had toyed with the thought of visiting one of these stores, but Yukari had promptly shot her down. The staff would only service students that owned a blue card, indicating their residence within the suites. Kurumu had not made much fuss, considering she lacked the convenience of a kitchen.

Yukari lived on the second floor of this building. Her apartment was on the front side of the building, so the door was facing the small commissary in the center of this circle. Each building had twelve suites, half of which were facing the woods.

Yukari’s apartment was the middle unit. It was difficult to say if anyone occupied the neighboring units, since none of these buildings had windows and these wall sconces would only turn on with their motion sensors. She knew that the dumpling track girl lived in one of the downstairs units in the adjacent building with her younger sister. Apparently same gender siblings were allowed to stay in these suites, provided they were not both first years.

She knocked on the door again, trying to be louder without being obnoxious. She knew the walls and floors were thick in the apartments as she had never heard anything to suggest anyone but Yukari lived inside this building. Every time she had slept over at Yukari’s, they would leave so early that it almost felt like she was the only resident in this particular petal.

As she should have known, there had not been a swimsuit in her cup size to buy off the shelf. She had put in an order which they said would take ten to twelve days to get in their stock. She had let the sales woman measure her to assure that she would get the correct size. She was still a 75G, which was not too surprising as she had just had herself measured last month.

Though none of the Tengu girls were swimmers, Tobuyoku and Honda had both walked out with new suits. Hanetsume thought the whole thing silly, thinking if all they planned to do was lay about, may as well do so in her lingerie if the point was getting attention. Dangai had not been interested in a two piece and disliked all the one piece designs.

After much pestering and getting Tsukune’s stamp of approval, Moka caved in to buying a white bikini with floral print and fluffy frills stitched in the hems. It was really cute though she would be squeezing herself into a C cup as there had not been one in her actual size. Figuring Moka would not actually be swimming, Kurumu had convinced the vampire to buy on the spot. She had the distinct feeling Moka would not have bought one if she had been forced to put one on order.

Not wanting to look as silly as Tobuyoku, Tora had settled on a flattering one piece. The cherry red fabric had blended well with her natural tan complexion. She had refused to wear anything more daring, which was a little sad considering how the garment covered almost every curve.

Amusingly, Kurumu had been able to pick up a lavender mesh tote at this place for her shower needs. She had already burned through more than half of her loose cash at their first stop after lunch, which was annoying since this was not some fancy, designer swimsuit. It seriously was nothing more than a black bikini suit with a yellow flower print. She was so thankful that Moka had felt like treating everyone to lunch as she would not have had any money left to shop for potential birthday presents.

Being all hush and secretive, she had reminded Tora and Moka about Tsukune’s birthday in two weeks. Both were aware of it, but had not thought about buying him anything yet. Tora had opted against being secretive, stating she would ask him sometime next weekend if he would like a present from her and what sort of thing he felt was acceptable. Moka agreed that this was a safer approach and had ignored Kurumu’s playful teasing about how a real girlfriend would be more daring.

That said, Kurumu had no idea what she could buy Tsukune for his birthday. For some reason she had randomly thought about condoms, but that felt like the worst gift ever. Tsukune would probably appreciate a CD more, though she had no idea which CDs he might be interested in. Sure, she knew several bands in his collection, but he probably owned more than he had brought. It would be such a waste to buy him a CD that he had left at home.

They had met up with Ginei about a half hour before three. He had been a little miffed about the trip being revealed to Tsukune, stating he had wanted to keep that a surprise. Always suspicious, she had asked if he planned to abandon Tsukune in the human world, which Ginei had playfully avoided direct denial. He admitted the trip was meant to be a gift to Tsukune, but since it was not guaranteed, he had other ways of showing his appreciation to his precious club member.

Kurumu had extended Asuka’s birthday invitation to him, though he had avoided committing to attend. He had been too busy flirting with Dangai, whom had quickly become withdrawn and nervous about the unusual attention. Kurumu suspected Ginei had targeted the girl because of her lack of undergarments. The guy liked making girls squirm and Dangai was unwittingly the most vulnerable of their group.

After goofing off at the arcade for a solid hour, Ginei had treated Dangai to a movie, letting the rest of them fend for themselves. On her recommendation, Ginei had taken the girl to see that Constantine movie while the two track girls tagged along. The rest of them had watched Wimbledon. She had liked it, though it would have been better if she had been allowed to hold his hand during it. Somehow Tsukune had ended up between Tora and Honda, and everyone had been too polite to change up the seating arrangements.

Kurumu had not known any of those actors. Apparently the girl was from the Spiderman movie that had come out three years ago. Kurumu had admitted that she had only seen four movies while living in Kengamine because her mother loved the Lord of the Ring series and Star Wars. The Phantom Menace had been the last movie she had seen in that summer before they had abruptly moved to Kengamine. She had never thought about charming Takada to take her to the cinema.

A little after five they had decided to call it a day and head back to the dining hall. They had eaten together, which was always fun, before parting ways. Unable to convince Tora or Moka, Kurumu had decided to pay Yukari a visit by herself. She realized coming alone would likely result in pestering about the dream world again, but she really wanted to chat with the witch about everything. In the least, the girl deserved praise for that article.

Checking her wrist and noting it was a quarter after eight, Kurumu knocked on the door again. She doubted the witch was asleep, thinking Yukari had said her normal bedtime was around ten. Moka was probably in bed by now, or was trying to bathe herself half asleep. The vampire had mentioned needing to do that tonight.

The deadbolt was drawn back as the door pulled open. The witch frowned, having dressed down into her silky white chemise with the panda head print.

“You know I have a doorbell.”

Yukari reached over to a small white button that was mounted on the black frame of the door. She pushed it which caused a small bird tweet to echo in the room.

“That’s not a normal tone for a door bell.”

“I didn’t like the default setting so I reprogrammed it.”

“Isn’t a doorbell electrical?”

“This sends a single to a player. I removed the player and gave it an enchantment instead. It works off the same electrical current.”

“Won’t the school be upset about you breaking their doorbell?”

Yukari shrugged, gesturing for her to come inside.

“Are you spending the night?”

“I brought clothes for tomorrow and some sleepwear.”

Kurumu drew in her wings in to make it easier to pass through the door. She set her schoolbag down as Yukari shut the door behind her. Slipping out of her shoes, Kurumu opened up her bag to fish out a plain crew necked tee. Even at home, she did not own a genuine set of pajamas or sleep wear. It was mostly tank tops and tee shirts that she felt were too bland to use as casual wear. Most of the time she was fine sleeping in panties, though these recent weeks she had been bare bottomed more often than she liked.

“Will we be visiting your dream world tomorrow morning?”

“Sure.”

“Shall we visit Tsukune?”

Kurumu stepped up from the small genkan, quickly crossing the room to turn and sit upon the bed. She noted there was a book on the pillow. The author of this Kitchen book was Banana Yoshimoto. Sounded like it might be a comedy. She sighed, curling her tail about her ankle and flopping back on the bed. She absently tossed the shirt behind her head.

“Depends. Do you have any plans of what you want to do?”

Yukari strolled over to the bed, jumping up on the mattress next to her. The witch grabbed up the book, thumbing through the pages.

“Not really. Maybe a candlelit dinner.”

“That’s too romantic.”

“A movie then.”

“We just watched a romantic movie. Too fresh in his mind.”

“But that’s good. He’ll dismiss it as a dream.”

“He’ll have sex with me.”

“As long as he does that after I have some fun, I don’t care.”

Kurumu whimpered out a laugh.

“Why do I feel like everyone is pressuring me to have sex? Nerume suggested I buy condoms.”

“That would be smart. I’ll see if I can buy some popsicles.”

“Popsicles?”

“For practice.”

“Why can’t you just be a normal little girl?”

“Because I’m a genius.”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head. She glanced over, noting Yukari was turning a page in the book.

“Is that good?”

“It’s modern.”

“Comparable to your Lord Souseki?”

“So you do have a memory.”

“All I remember is you said he wrote your favorite cat book.”

“I could lend it to you.”

“You have books?”

“I have a book. It’s in my closet.”

Kurumu sighed, shrugging.

“Sure, I’ll read your book.”

“Okay.”

Yukari kept reading till she turned the page. She put the book down and crawled back off the bed. She bounded across the room with a bit of enthusiasm before disappearing through the open closet door. She promptly came back out with a brick.

“What’s that?”

The witch grinned as she hurried back to the bed. She turned the massive dictionary about in her hands, presenting it to Kurumu. The title ‘I Am a Cat’ was scrawled upon the cover.

“No. What is that?”

“It’s the book.”

“No, that is the blunt object you are threatening to kill me with. Give me the child’s book that you promised.”

Yukari giggled.

“This is a literary masterpiece. It follows the story of an unnamed kitten and the observations it makes about the idiocy of the humans that torment it. I believe this should be recommended reading for all kinds of monsters. Though we may be superior in every way, like this kitten is, we must put up with these creatures in order to survive.”

“That would take me weeks to read.”

“This is the only book that I have read multiple times. While I remember every detail within this tome, I still find it enjoyable to reread.”

“I would rather read your cookbook.”

“I don’t have a cookbook.”

“I meant this other thing written by the banana person.”

“That is also enjoyable. Let me finish it first and I will leave it with you in the morning.”

Yukari set the intimidating cat book on the floor at the foot of the bed. She then deliberately crawled over Kurumu to get back to the other book. Kurumu grimaced as a knee pressed uncomfortable against her gut before the girl rolled over on her back with the book snatched up in her hands.

“So that’s not a cookbook?”

“It’s a story about improvised families. Kind of like how our club is.”

“So these people are being threatened on a regular basis, fighting off people that want to kill them.”

“I didn’t mean exactly alike.”

“Is that one of the librarian’s suggestions?”

“It is. I also have the Ten Loves of Nishino, by Hiromi Kawakami. I understand it is an homage to one of Lord Souseki’s works, Ten Nights of Dream. Someone has checked that one out, so I guess I will have to read it afterwards.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Keep it up, Yukari. Read enough books and I’m sure you’ll become a real girl someday.”

“Go change into your pajamas.”

Kurumu reached down to the hem of her green tank top and tugged it up over her head. As she had been without a bra all day, it did not feel that much freer with them bared. She sighed, glancing at Yukari. Absently she rested a hand on her belly, fingers toying with the buttons of her denim shorts.

“I’m in no hurry.”

“Please don’t flaunt those monstrosities in front of me.”

“Is it normal for a monster species not to have a womb?”

Yukari paused, setting her book down. As her legs were bent at her knees, she bobbed the heels of her feet against her tush.

“Unusual. Though some creatures adapt to the situation. There are several species that change genders if the environment deems it needed.”

“That would be nice.”

Kurumu thought about the pictures she had been shown. It was not the sort of thing she could talk to Tsukune or Moka about. Neither of them would know enough to make a comparison.

“At the hospital, I had this iodine test done that showed the outline of my system. There was this white sphere thing blocking my passage, but it was porous. It pulled the iodine through, showing that the pathway continued to some other rounded things back here.”

Kurumu rolled over to rub one of the small dimples in her back.

“There’s one on each side and this path appears to connect to my tail.”

“Does Ms. Sasayaki think your tail is part of your reproductive system?”

Kurumu sighed.

“We don’t know. She said she will try to get in contact with one of these succubi women a friend of mine mentioned. Maybe they can explain how I make babies.”

Yukari shrugged, picking up the book.

“You should ask your mother.”

Kurumu sighed, recalling Tora’s remark about writing her mother. She knew she should, but a letter was not going to get to her mother any faster written today or tomorrow. If she was going to be moved out of the dorms, she kind of wanted to mention that.

“I don’t feel like writing her yet. You would think she would have told me how to make a baby by now.”

“Mothers can be irrational. They insist that we stay cute forever and never grow up.”

Kurumu thought to argue about Yukari’s young age, but she realized that was hypocritical. The fighting with her mother had started shortly after the move to Kengamine. She had only been ten.

“My mother randomly decided to move.”

Yukari quickly set the book down, her eyes filled with worry.

“You’re staying at Yokai, right?”

“Yea. She decided I was too far away, so she’s moving to that Aga town in Niigata.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“What have you been doing all weekend?”

“Reading.”

“That book is too small for you to have been reading all weekend.”

“This isn’t the only book. This is my third.”

“You read three books this weekend?”

“Mhm. That Personal Matter book she kept insisting I get around to, as well as Masks by Fumiko Enchi. I was hoping to read all four, but I got distracted with other things.”

Kurumu had no idea how long these books were, but she supposed it was possible to read that many if they were all about the size of that one. She scooted off the bed, unfastening the buttons and snaps for the shorts. Her tail uncoiled from her leg as she wiggled her way out of these tight things. She nearly lost her panties in the process, but tugged these loose briefs back up before pushing the denim shorts all the way down her thighs.

Stepping free of the shorts, she turned about and grabbed the green tank off the bed. She dropped it on the floor next to the shorts before crawling back on the bed. Lying on her belly, she glanced at Yukari whom was turning another page.

“Do you want to hang out with us next weekend?”

“Define us.”

“With Moka, Tora and the Tengu girls.”

“If it was just the three of you, I would have no issue with it.”

“The other girls we were with aren’t so bad.”

“Is there a reason for me to hang out with these other girls?”

“Because it’s boring sitting in your apartment alone.”

“I’ve kept myself busy with books and research.”

“Research?”

“I experimented a little with a growth potion.”

“Oh? How did that go?”

“It’s too weak. It lasted for about five minutes and then rewound itself.”

“Rewound?”

“I don’t understand the side effect. I think I need to disassociate the age.”

“I’m lost. Can you explain this simpler?”

“I made myself sixteen, five years older, for five minutes. Once those five minutes were up, the potion decided it would reduce me to six years old for ten minutes. I don’t understand it.”

Kurumu laughed.

“You were six years old?”

“I believe so.”

“That would have been the cutest thing to witness.”

“I have nothing that fits a six year old body. It was embarrassing.”

“You have nothing that fits a sixteen year old body.”

“Yes, but skimpy is sexy.”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head.

“Maybe some things are best left unfinished.”

“I just need more time to figure out what is wrong.”

Kurumu knew it was pointless to argue with this stubborn girl.

“Have you tried working with your wings?”

“Not really.”

“Aww… that would be much more fun than having you older.”

“I don’t own any clothes that would work with wings.”

“What about tank tops?”

“I don’t have any that are low enough cut. Unlike you, I don’t have an oversized pair of milk jugs to hold up a sagging tank top in the front.”

“So fly topless.”

Yukari’s eyes widened.

“I can’t do that!”

“Why not? If it’s late enough, nobody would notice.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I’ll fly topless with you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Come on, Yukari. I want to fly with you. It will be fun.”

Yukari lowered her book, sighing.

“Only on the condition that you won’t freak out if Tsukune does naughty things to you in the dream.”

Kurumu pouted.

“It’s not like I don’t enjoy it. It’s more like the regret I feel afterwards.”

“What’s there to regret?”

Kurumu smiled, unable to explain this mix of feelings.

“We’re going to have fun.”

Yukari smirked.

“I hope so.”

Kurumu nudged the witch in the side.

“I meant the flying.”


	12. Rash Decisions

One sad thing about switching these homerooms was not getting a better English teacher out of the deal. Not that Mr. Nagamushi was a bad person but unless he decided to write something on the board, she had no way of following his lecture. She watched Dokiniji stand up when prompted and the blond droned out whatever passage it was they were on. If Kurumu had packed her English textbook, she might have at least attempted to match up sounds with words.

She had spoken with Ms. Sunao about changing homerooms before classes had started. The timid Japanese instructor gave no indication of caring why she wanted to switch, and would happily take her if that was fine with Ms. Nekonome. It became quickly apparent that the woman hoped the presence of another newspaper club member would calm the tensions in her class caused by Yukari.

Ms. Nekonome had arrived a meager eight minutes before classes started. Aware of this proposed change, her homeroom teacher had sighed and gave her blessing. She promised to turn in some paperwork over lunch to finalize the matter, encouraging Kurumu to spend this day in her class so that she could have a proper sendoff during the last period.

Mrs. Itou had been their math instructor today. The plump woman with the short, whitish locks had informed them that Ms. Kagome would be out for the rest of the week and was not likely to return before the midterm exam. Not offering any further explanation, the substitute had passed out a stapled worksheet for them to work on, which had been due at the end of the hour. It was the same worksheet they had received last week, making it much easier since Kurumu remembered the answers.

Dokiniji sat down as Mr. Nagamushi called on Hiboshi. The fox girl huffed, slipping out of her seat before stepping up onto it. Holding her book up, she tilted her head back as she sounded out the phrases.

Kurumu smiled, thinking how quickly people adjusted to situations beyond their control. She had talked with Tora yesterday about Hiboshi’s new friendship with Dakuhime and her concerns about Irewata. Tora felt it was too early to worry about Hiboshi’s relationships, taking the continued friendship with Yaisoku as a good sign that the others would eventually follow, regardless of what they might say about Hineri.

Worried that the news would cause the same uproar that her short hair had incited, Kurumu had opted against saying anything about transferring classes. She worried how her friends would feel about the switch, even thinking she might take it all back if Tsukune begged her to stay. Of course he would not do that. She figured Moka would put up more protest than he would.

They were going to eat a lunch prepared by Yukari today. After much pestering in the dream world, Kurumu had yielded to Yukari’s demands to see Tsukune. Kurumu had given them a setting in which they were playing cards while dressed in jeans and casual tees. Tsukune had tried to seize control at the start, but changing the location to his bedroom thwarted his attempts to isolate her.

They had played a simple game in which the winner was kissed by one of the losers. Clearly Yukari had figured out how to change her cards, since she won every round after the first two games. Kurumu had reminded Tsukune a kiss on the cheek would satisfy the rules, much to Yukari’s disappointment.

Despite the warning, Yukari had sneaked one good kiss in there at the end. Calling the girl a brat, Kurumu had pushed Tsukune aside to take back that kiss from Yukari’s lips. She had no idea why, but the dream had ended during that kiss. As it had still been a quarter to six, Kurumu doubted he had woken up.

Kurumu sighed. She felt like Tsukune was so far away that being in a different class hardly mattered. He had been so quick to accept that kiss from the older version of Yukari. Like there had only been a second of surprise. He had started to push Yukari down, forcing Kurumu to keep their clothes on as his dream insisted that they should be off. If she had not forcefully imposed herself to take back the kiss, she had a feeling he would have succeeded claiming Yukari’s dream virginity. She may have inadvertently kicked him out of her dream world as she doubted her kissing Yukari would have him willingly quit the dream.

At least flying had been fun last night. After bringing the girl to a remote location, they had shed their tops and hosted Yukari’s first flight lesson. Since Yukari’s wings were built with the appropriate muscle strength, the girl had figured the exact process of taking off, gliding and landing within the ten minutes she could keep her wings out. It was frightening how quickly the witch had adapted to having wings.

Yukari had been humming while cooking lunch for the four of them. She had a cute voice, but did not know any lyrics to sing. Kurumu had mentioned she might be able to borrow some CDs from Hiboshi or Dakuhime if the witch was interested in learning some songs. Yukari had shrugged off the idea, not caring that much. A tune was a tune and lyrics only mattered if they were from your heart.

They had arrived at school a little later than Yukari’s normal time. Kurumu had used the need to talk to the faculty as a convenient excuse to escape the undesirable subjects that Yukari had pestered her with all morning. Yukari refused to accept the fact that a friendship with silver Moka was not appealing to Kurumu, nor was she thrilled with the idea of having a dream threesome with Yukari and Tsukune.

The bell sounded the end of the period in the middle of Natsudera’s phrase. Mr. Nagamushi frowned a moment before quickly favoring the class with a smile. He spouted a couple expletives while gathering up his things. With a grin, he tucked his briefcase beneath his arm and strolled for the door. He slid the door aside, leaving it open for the two Tengu girls whom were on his heels.

Kurumu slipped out of her desk, quickly moving aside to be out of Burumoto’s way. She placed her hands on her head, when he made a slight gesture with his large palm. Chuckling the boy snapped his finger at her while walking by. He grabbed up Tamaishi by the shoulder and the two large boys made their way out the open back door.

With Burumoto out of the way, Tsukune was free to move the desks about. He was spinning his around to face Moka’s as the vampire finished up her notes. Kurumu tugged her desk over to close the aisle.

Kurumu absently looked about the class. Tora and Kamitsuku had both left. Hiboshi was bickering with Irewata, refusing to go anywhere if the bunny did not let her hand go. Nerume was in her usual state of slumber. Smiling, Kurumu wandered across the back of the class to wake the girl.

“Could you stop? You're embarrassing me.”

“But you didn't visit me all weekend.”

“I am under no obligation to entertain you. You have other friends.”

“But they wanted to see you too.”

“I would rather not be harassed by a bunch of fawning idiots.”

“Fufi is not an idiot. She has good grades.”

Kurumu grinned, placing her hand on Nerume's back and shaking the girl.

“Go to lunch.”

“I don't wanna.”

“Well I do and I can't with you all over me.”

Shaking her head, Kurumu shook Nerume again, causing the girl to jerk up in alarm. The little Kirin glanced about, nodding upon realizing the situation. She brought a small hand up to cover her mouth as she yawned.

“Just take her with you, Hiboshi. It will be less troublesome.”

“I don't care for the advice of someone whom routinely forces herself on others.”

Kurumu pouted, supposing this had nothing to do with her. Motion drew her attention away and she smiled at Satsuki whom walked through the back door. Yukari was a couple steps behind, lugging the white satchel with the bento boxes.

There was a skittering of desks. Hiboshi whimpered as Irewata tightened a hold about the small girl's torso. Hiboshi had almost made it to the door.

“Let me go.”

“You tried to run from me.”

“What is going on?”

Kurumu shrugged at Satsuki's inquiry. She waved at Yukari, whom smiled before continuing across the class to join Moka.

“So what did the two of you do over the weekend?”

“I met up with Shindou after lunch on Saturday and we checked out that bowling alley.”

“All of you?”

“I guess? Nerume and Taijin were with us. We played a couple games against the bowling club.”

“Bowling club?”

“Yea, the bowling club. Our former class rep, Wanibuchi, was with his friends. I guess they have a club that doesn't dedicate all their time to harassing troublesome witches.”

Kurumu frowned.

“They didn't cause you trouble?”

Satsuki waved dismissively.

“Not really. They were eager to have opponents. Stomped the shit out of us, but I suppose it was fun in its own way.”

“Oh? I would think that would anger you.”

Satsuki chuckled.

“When they opened with strikes and spares, it was obvious we were fucked. I was cool with it since I scored better than the rest of the girls.”

Kurumu had never been to a bowling alley before. She knew what one looked like from movies.

“Sounds like it could be fun.”

Nerume stood up, stretching her arms behind her head. She pointed towards the squirming Hiboshi whom was making tiny grunts as she tried to writhe free of Irewata's vice grip from behind.

“Should we break that up?”

Kurumu waved dismissively.

“So is the place large enough for our group?”

“It has sixteen lanes so it should be fine. There's Taijin and the four girls she eats lunch with. Then there's the three of us. I think she's bringing four more track girls and whomever you have from your club.”

“Don't forget Tama.”

“Goto's not going to come. You know that.”

“But this is different. Chisa is coming.”

Satsuki sighed.

“Maybe. Did any of your club commit to coming?”

“I think I've invited all of them but Yukari. Don't know if she would come even if I asked.”

“No boyfriends. She was adamant about that.”

Kurumu grimaced. She had forgotten about that.

“I kind of invited our club president and sort of assumed Tsukune would be coming.”

Nerume giggled.

“I would bring him.”

“I can't do that.”

“Well… your president isn't dating anyone so he should be fine.”

“I'm sure she meant no boys, you twit.”

“Whatever. I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat.”

“Yukari packed my lunch, so I'm good.”

“You dare to eat her cooking?”

Kurumu laughed.

“We ate together last week.”

“I hear some poisons take weeks of doses to become effective.”

Nerume tugged on Satsuki's arm.

“Stop it. Let's go.”

“I'll see you later.”

Hiboshi giggled as the two headed out the back door. Irewata had loosened her grip to squeeze her fingertips against the fox girl's sides.

“Stop!”

“You're still ticklish.”

The fox girl easily twisted free of Irewata, darting out through the front door. The bouncy girl hopped out in hot pursuit.

Grinning, Kurumu shook her head as she wandered back to her desk. The periwinkle bento with the daisy petals rested on her desk. Yukari was stuffing a helping of eggs into her mouth while her other hand held the white bento still. The other two had opened their boxes but were politely waiting for Kurumu to join them. Slipping into her seat, Kurumu tugged the top of her bento off and retrieved the black set of chopsticks.

“I was reminded that Tsukune is not allowed to attend Asuka's birthday party.”

“Huh?”

“She wants it to be a girls’ only event.”

Tsukune chuckled as he took his first bite. Moka bowed her head, lilting her thanks for the meal.

“Did you want to come to a birthday party? She was fine with all the girls from our group coming.”

“I shall decline.”

Kurumu smiled, as she let her first scoop dangle before her lips.

“Figures.”

“I've been wondering.”

Stowing the eggs inside her mouth, she glanced at Tsukune's shoulder.

“What do those Tengu girls do with their eggs?”

Kurumu grimaced, swallowing it down.

“Why bring that up as we are eating eggs?”

“Sorry. Inconvenient connection.”

“What are we talking about?”

“The girls we have spent the last couple weekends with are Tengu. We stumbled into a conversation about them laying eggs instead of having periods.”

Yukari huffed.

“If you're that curious, Tsukune, they have publications about the more common monster species available in the library. Grandfather did extensive work with the Tengu community in Oguni.”

Tsukune shrugged.

“I'm not that curious.”

He took a mouthful, chewing slowly.

“Besides, it might look suspicious if I start reading a whole bunch of monster manuals.”

“There's a Tengu community in Oguni?”

“It's on the border with Niigata's Tainai District. Depending on which school they wish to attend, they'll claim Tainai or Oguni.”

Kurumu thought she remembered a couple track girls from Tainai. She would have to look at a copy of the last paper to refresh her memory.

“I could tell you some things about other monsters if you like. She knows a lot of things.”

Kurumu smirked.

“She knows a lot of wrong things.”

“She was right about you not being able to kiss him.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out as Yukari frowned while regarding Tsukune.

“Why are you interested in learning about Tengu?”

“I don't know. It's different, I guess.”

“You should read Grandfather's work about vampires.”

“Is there more than what I have been told?”

Kurumu shrugged.

“Probably. I told you about my first boyfriend and didn't realize I had neglected to tell everyone else. I bet there are things Moka has told me that you don't know about.”

“You had a boyfriend?”

Kurumu wagged her chopsticks at Yukari.

“Exactly.”

“I've told Tsukune a lot of things.”

“Did you tell him about your mate selection practices?”

Moka blushed as Tsukune became intrigued.

“Moka mentioned last week that it's tradition to be defeated by the man she will marry.”

Kurumu paused with a frown.

“Or does that only apply to your elder sister?”

Yukari giggled.

“The eldest is not allowed to reject a challenge. Moka can ignore unwanted suitors, but if she wants her parents' blessing, she would have to be bested in combat.”

Tsukune sighed.

“Maybe I should read that book.”

Kurumu smiled.

“I think reading a book about vampires as a vampire would be more suspicious.”

“You could check it out for him.”

“If he wants me to.”

She smirked at Yukari.

“On the condition that we read it together.”

“You probably would need help understanding half of it with your limited vocabulary.”

Kurumu polished off the last of the eggs, turning her attention to the small sausages that had been stuffed in one of the side pockets. She gestured her chopsticks at the faint marks on Tsukune's neck.

“I'm only curious how dangerous it is for Moka to keep sucking his blood. Is there anything in that book about that?”

“It only states that drinking blood is not required for their survival. A vampire takes blood to strengthen themselves. This is also how vampires have acquired new powers over the centuries.”

“New powers?”

Finished with her meal, Yukari tucked her chopsticks inside the bento and pushed the top back on. She gestured at Moka and Kurumu.

“For instance, if Moka decided to suck on Kurumu's blood, she would eventually develop similar powers to a succubus.”

Kurumu frowned.

“That's possible?”

“It would takes months of consistent feeding, but that is how the vampire race works. Several powers that humans have attributed to vampires in their works of fiction are actually traits stolen from other monster races.”

Kurumu regarded Tsukune for a moment, glancing to the door to confirm they were alone. She popped the last morsel from her bento into her mouth, aware that the other two had also finished theirs.

“What happens with months of consistent feeding on humans?”

Yukari shrugged.

“Hard to say. I would think it would weaken her since humans are not as strong as vampires.”

“But that's true of all monsters.”

“Other monsters have abilities a vampire might wish to possess. Other monsters also recover faster from having their blood drawn, so a vampire can take more blood and feed more frequently, shortening the time it would take to acquire these abilities.”

Tsukune slouched back in his seat. He smiled, gesturing to Moka.

“Would Moka develop bat wings like Kurumu has?”

“Physical transformations like that take a lot of time, though it is possible. When I was four, Grandfather told me of one such vampire that had feasted on so many different monsters that he had become near impossible to kill. He could fly, breathe underwater, bathe in lava… if a monster could do it, so could he. He waged war on every living creature, seeking to bring death to all that existed upon Japan. In the end this creature was sealed away through the combined efforts of the dark lords that ruled Japan.”

“That sounds like a fairy tale told to keep your ornery butt in bed.”

Yukari smirked.

“Maybe so, but there is a dark stain on the reputation of vampires within Japan. They may be respected and feared, but few monster races willingly engage with them. Moka's mother is the first vampire to lead Fairy Tale in more than a century.”

Moka sighed heavily.

“Now she's all upset and doesn't want me drinking Tsukune's blood anymore.”

Kurumu laughed.

“That sounds like something she would be upset about. She's all about being strong and violent.”

Moka pouted, painfully slugging her shoulder.

“You are more than welcome to use me as a substitute.”

“I don't think silver Moka regards a witch as a strong monster.”

“Physical prowess is not the only thing a vampire inherits. Drinking my blood might improve her mental faculties. She may even develop the ability to cast magic.”

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head.

“Having your blood sucked is not that great, Yukari. It's exhausting.”

Yukari frowned.

“Moka drank your blood?”

“One time.”

“The mermaid bite was far more enjoyable.”

Yukari giggled.

“Of course that would be. A mermaid wants to release sexual tension to fuel their reproductive systems. A vampire has no reason to bring such pleasure to their prey.”

Kurumu smirked, wondering what was going on with the twins. The chatty one had stopped pestering her about visiting the pool shortly after the student police debacle. She wondered if she should talk to Tarako in home ec today, though that would probably break this peaceful silence between them.

Finished with her meal, Kurumu felt it would be best to break the news before anybody randomly decided to come back to class early.

“I'm changing homerooms.”

Tsukune frowned as Yukari crossed her arms about her chest. Moka regarded her with confusion.

“You can do that?”

“It's a special circumstance. I’m sure Shirayuki is upset at me so I want to make things easier for her when she returns from her suspension.”

“That's stupid. She should be the one put in a different class.”

Kurumu grinned.

“I'm going to be in your class Yukari. I know you have empty desks around you.”

Yukari's eyes brightened, but she quickly glanced aside.

“I still think that's stupid.”

“You should talk to her first, Kurumu. Doesn't she live on your floor?”

“That's a horrible idea.”

“Even if I do smooth things over with her, I don’t know how she will feel about sitting next to someone she almost killed. Besides… I really don't want to be here when Saizou returns.”

“Tora said she would switch seats with him.”

“Do we really know if she can do that? Shirayuki needed Burumoto's permission to swap seats with him.”

“How long have you known about changing homerooms?”

Kurumu shrugged at his inquiry.

“Not long. It came up for discussion when Ms. Sasayaki mentioned moving me out of the dorms.”

“You’re moving out of the dorms too? That's not fair.”

“I’m sorry, Moka. I guess Kana will have to be in charge of waking you up.”

“But that’s not why I’m upset.”

“It can’t be helped. There’s some concern that prolonged exposure to me could be detrimental to the girls on my floor. They’re just going to move me to the suites. I might even end up as Yukari’s neighbor.”

Yukari frowned.

“But that means you will have your own kitchen.”

“Yea… I guess that means you lost your biggest bargaining chip.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Yukari sighed.

“Nothing.”

“Don't fret, Yukari. I'm too sociable to be holed up in my room all morning.”

“I don't understand.”

“What don't you understand?”

“How being sociable has anything to do with my disappointment.”

“I'll visit you in the morning. We can eat breakfast at your place or the dining hall.”

Yukari rolled her eyes.

“I will never eat from that breakfast selection again.”

“Why? It's not any different from what you make.”

“There is a world of difference between what I cook and what you simpletons allow to be served to you.”

Kurumu chuckled, aware that Yukari's meals were more enjoyable. She took in a deep breath, turning slightly to Tsukune.

“So you've been quiet.”

“Just thinking.”

“About?”

He nervously laughed.

“Thinking it would be nice to go with you.”

“I don’t think they allow boyfriends to live with their girlfriends in the suites.”

He blushed.

“I didn’t mean like that. I meant switching homerooms to avoid Mr. Komiya.”

“They should have that brute transferred to a different class. Moka said he attacked Tora and another classmate of yours.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Yea… Ushio. I'll probably break his poor heart switching classes like this.”

“I'm sure his isn't the only one.”

“Oh? Are you feeling lonely at the thought of not having me sit in class all day long admiring your profile?”

Tsukune chuckled.

“God, I hope you don't do that.”

“Not all day long. Maybe an hour or two.”

“You must be extremely bored.”

“Oh, so my love is confused with boredom now.”

Tsukune sighed as Yukari smirked.

“I didn't mean that.”

“What did you mean?”

“Well… originally I meant that a lot of people will be sad to see you go. I know Kamitsuku will be disappointed. Then there's Tora and your friend, Genzouyaki. Both those Tengu girls.”

He smiled.

“You've really touched a lot of people here.”

“I guess. Don't act like the two of you have any less impact on this classroom. Shirayuki may have been angry at me, but I'm trusting the two of you to make her feel as welcome as possible. I don't want her to get blamed for me switching like this.”

Tsukune chuckled.

“Then what excuse should we make.”

“I don't know. Maybe say we were split up because of faculty concerns. The whole class saw how freaked out Ms. Kagome was when Ikazuchi implied we were engaged in sexual activity.”

Yukari giggled, causing Kurumu to smirk. On afterthought, that was amusing given how the teacher had ultimately decided to encourage such a relationship.

“Not everyone knows about that, Yukari.”

“Knows about what?”

“It's nothing, right Moka?”

“I’m not sure what you are talking about.”

“Okay. Is this nothing good or bad?”

Kurumu smiled softly.

“I guess that depends on how you feel.”

* * *

Hugging a guy forty cm taller than her was an awkward experience. He had to bend slightly to get his arms to somewhat resemble a hug about her head. Perhaps realizing that was not comfortable, he had settled to patting her head as she squeezed his midsection one last time. Stepping back, she batted his hand away.

“Perfect height my ass.”

Burumoto chuckled, moving his hand to rub the back of his head.

“Well… not for hugging.”

“Or kissing.”

Burumoto smirked.

“Depends on what you want kissed.”

Feeling his interest, she smacked him with the back of her hand.

“Go fetch your broom.”

She gestured to the back of the class where Tamaishi was pulling open the small closet of cleaning goods. While she knew it was not his day, he would not abandon his partner.

Ms. Unsei Sachiko had filled in for Ms. Hitori for Home Economics today. Not giving a reason for the absence, the woman had dimmed the lights and had them watch a short film about serving etiquette. Aware from her talk with Ginei that the woman was an English instructor and Sangi’s homeroom teacher, Kurumu had learned from Tokori that the glossy, black haired woman with the chin length bob cut was also the advisor for the Sadou Club.

She had attempted to be discreet with the news of her transfer during the gym hour, wanting Nerume and Tora to know about it before the announcement. It ended up a huge mess with half of the girls from class one getting worked up about the switch. Ms. Hoshineru had to raise her voice to calm the sudden excitement, threatening to have the whole group run laps if they did not control their volume. Poor Asuka was incapable of restraint, but she had plenty of energy for the laps.

Kurumu had decided to be noncommittal about the reason for the transfer, reassuring the two Tengu girls that it had nothing to do with Shirayuki when Hanetsume started making guesses. She had promised more details to Tora and Nerume at a later time, both thankfully letting things be. The rest of the group were not as easily placated.

The class one girls, namely the twins and Touzoku, were only interested where she was transferring to. When she mentioned she would be in class two, they let things be. This also eased Irewata’s concerns about her being in a new class without any friends.

Hiboshi had simply wanted to confirm it had nothing to do with her. Natsudera’s only gripe was that she would have to deal with Izanai on her own. Everyone else honestly had to deal with it or run the laps, since Kurumu was not interested in explaining things to girls that just wanted fresh gossip.

Her decision had softened the surprise when Ms. Nekonome had made the announcement at the end of the class. She had been called up to the front of the class before Ms. Nekonome had shared the news. It was hard to say if some of the boys had been notified or simply did not care.

Kamitsuku had simply said he would see her around. Considering she had no intentions of stopping her dorm room visits or her use of the film club, he was probably the least impacted by this decision. The three that seemed the most upset were Yougan, Ikazuchi and Burumoto. She had no idea why the two jokesters cared so much but had given them a cursory hug all the same.

A small hand touched her shoulder. Finished with the blackboard, Tora nodded for the open door.

“Come on. The others are probably waiting for us.”

Kurumu smiled, falling in step alongside the sphinx as they walked out of the class into the hallway. Moka and Tsukune had left at the end of class since Tora had informed them at the end of lunch about meeting the student council today. Apparently the president wanted to officially meet the whole newspaper club before giving his blessing on their latest edition.

“Hold up.”

She grabbed Tora by the shoulder.

“Does Kana know to come to the student council?”

“What about the student council?”

The blond slowed her step to join them, cocking her head aside. Her schoolbag was slung across her shoulders with her green jacket left open.

“You are a bit late to club. I assumed you had went ahead of us.”

“Ahead to where?”

Kurumu smiled.

“Did you have class duties?”

“No. I was sketching and didn’t want to stop. It’s not like we start club stuff immediately.”

“We’re heading up to the student council room, Ms. Zukkutani. The council requested for our entire club to be present.”

“Oh, okay.”

They started walking down the hall, Tora between them.

“I heard you will be helping Moka with her next article.”

“Well… it’s Ms. Sano and my friend is in her manga club. It made sense.”

“Does the manga club make a comic?”

“They make something for the culture festival, but they won’t start working on that until second term. They don’t do much other than hang out in class 3-5.”

“Kurumu is switching homerooms.”

“You are? Why?”

Kurumu smirked at Tora, figuring the girl had prompted this out of her own curiosity.

“I’ve decided to take your advice and swoon at Tsukune from afar.”

“I don’t think I gave such advice.”

“You didn’t. Kurumu is dodging the truth of her rash decision.”

“What makes you think it was my decision?”

“Intuition.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Yea… Moka was upset that I went along with it. But I’ll be honest… I really don’t want to be sitting next to Saizou.”

“Are you sure that he wasn’t expelled?”

“Tokori said he would be coming back for midterms. I can’t imagine she would lie about that.”

“Lying and not knowing the truth are different things. I find it more reasonable that if he does come back, he would be assigned to a different classroom.”

Kurumu glanced in through the front door of class two, confirming that Yukari was not there. The witch had been present for Tora’s announcement, so her absence made sense.

“I doubt that. This school has some weird rules. They probably won’t transfer him unless he wants to. They asked me for permission to move me.”

“Wait. They asked you about switching classes?”

Technically that was about moving her out of the dorms, but she imagined it would be true for classes.

“Yea.”

“Hmm. That makes me suspicious about why you were asked to change classes.”

“It’s a conspiracy to break up our club. We’ve become too powerful.”

Kana chuckled as Tora shook her head.

“I don’t see why they would put you in Yukari’s class if that was the case.”

“Well… switching to class two doesn’t mess with my elective of my gym period. Everybody knows class two has a shortage of girls. Did I mention that girl from class two that was involved in the missing girl incident is transferring out of Yokai after midterms?”

“I don’t believe you did.”

“I know I told Ginei. I guess he doesn’t tell you everything over the pillow.”

Kana giggled as Tora sighed.

“Why must you continue to insist I have a relationship with our senior?”

“It’s probably a lack of progress in her own relationship.”

Kurumu frowned.

“That’s harsh.”

“Did they tell you why you were being switched?”

She sighed, not wanting to straight up lie.

“Well… they told me why I was being moved from the dorms. I’ll admit the homeroom switch was more of my idea, hoping that this would make things easier for Shirayuki.”

“See. I knew this was a rash decision.”

Kurumu sighed as they reached the end of the hall. They turned left down the hall as they moved towards the main entrance.

“I don’t want people to blame Shirayuki for my decision. You guys shouldn’t say that’s the reason why as it would completely defeat what I’m doing.”

“That makes sense, though I still think you should have brought this to our attention first. There is a chance Ms. Shirayuki doesn’t return to school after her suspension, which means you would have made this change for nothing.”

“I don’t know about that. Staying clear of Saizou was another solid reason.”

“True.”

“Who is this Saizou you two are talking about?”

“Some maniac that attacked four of us. Five if you include Burumoto.”

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t. He nearly killed Mr. Burumoto.”

“Yea…”

Kana shook her head.

“That is strange that he would be allowed to return to school.”

“Well, nobody died so he’s not in as much trouble as you would think. The only reason his punishment was this heavy was because he attacked a couple teachers too.”

“This school does have such weird policies.”

Kurumu smiled. She gestured at the white armband about her jacket’s left sleeve.

“So when do you start wearing the student police outfit?”

Tora smirked.

“When I step down as class rep. Until Ms. Nekonome provides the student council with a different name, I’m not allowed to be an official member of the group.”

“I’m surprised they let you wear the armband.”

“It’s not like this allows me to do anything beyond bypassing the lunch line.”

“Maybe you should consider staying an honorary member forever.”

“I doubt the student police would appreciate that.”

“When do you think we will have that nomination election thing?”

“I think she was putting it off until after our paper was handled. I’ll ask her about it since she will be up there with us in the student council meeting.”

Kurumu nodded. They walked the rest of the way to the main foyer in silence, turning right along the balcony. Another right brought them to the stairwell that took them up to the third floor. Kurumu had not been up these steps since her impromptu visit of the Headmaster before Kana had been rescued. That felt so long ago though it was less than a month.

The wide hall at the top of the stairs was the same as before. Two intricate chandeliers hung from the ceiling over pedestals that displayed relevant pieces of school history. Paintings lined the walls above crafted benches topped with crimson cushions. Nobody was waiting in this room.

Tora headed to the first door on the left, drawing it open. She walked inside, gesturing for them to follow. Kurumu hurried through the opening a couple steps ahead of the blond.

The student council room was a large dining hall. The center of the room was dominated by a large, ebony table with opulent trim. It was flanked by more than two dozen dining chairs with broad backs lined with crimson cushions. A golden chandelier hung above the center of the table.

A young, bespectacled man stood next to the chair at the center of the far side of the table. He looked up from a black ledger, smiling warmly at their arrival. His short black hair was carefully groomed.

“Greetings. You must be the last two members of the newspaper club.”

Kurumu nodded. A hand touched her left shoulder as Ginei gestured at her.

“This is Kurono Kurumu, our socialite. And this is Zukkutani Kana, our illustrator.”

“What’s a socialite?”

Ginei chuckled, letting go of her shoulder.

The young man bowed his head slightly.

“I am Kaneshiro Hokuto, Student Council President. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Kurumu could not tell what was so special about this guy. He might be a little taller than Ginei, but he was not the sort of impressive she had expected after hearing him praised up by the Tengu girls. He looked dreadfully normal.

Tsukune and Moka had taken a seat in front of her on this side of the table. Yukari looked even smaller when seated in these huge chairs on Moka’s right. Ms. Nekonome was not present, though probably still sorting things out at her desk in the faculty lounge.

There were three other students in the room. A young woman with glossy black hair stood on the president’s right. She was holding a notebook with a feathered quill poised upon the page. Her short hair swirled at the top in a cute cowlick. Finished with her scrawling, she looked up from the sheet while quickly fixing her wire thin glasses upon her tiny nose.

On the president’s left was a young man whom was only slightly taller than the girl. His black hair was ruffled and hung over his eyes. His lips pulled back in a toothy sneer as he took the ledger from the president. He tucked the ledger away into his schoolbag that rested on the table in front of him.

“This young lady is Komeichi Junko, our Secretary and my other associate here is Okumatsu Sen, our Treasurer.”

The last student in the room stood on their side of the table. His hands were crossed about his chest as he regarded them with a confident grin. His golden brown locks were feathered on the sides with his bangs sweeping out to his left side.

“I can introduce myself if it is all the same.”

“Be my guest.”

“I am Utsutei Mikado, Student Council Vice President.”

The Tengu girls had been right about him. He had a commanding air about him, and his physique was impressive. He was about Ginei’s height, but his arms and torso were thicker.

“You may take a seat if you wish. We are still waiting on a few faces before starting this in earnest.”

“What’s the issue?”

Ginei chuckled as he pulled out the chair next to Tsukune for her.

“They wish to discuss our budget, which we can’t do without our advisor.”

“Is there an issue with our budget?”

Tora chuckled, slipping around her to take the open seat. Turning slightly, she smiled up at Kurumu.

“Other than the sad fact that we don’t have one.”

“Indeed. That is something we would like to remedy.”

Nodding, Okumatsu rasped out a voice that sounded like he was wheezing through a straw.

“The issue is that we are given a fixed amount of funds which we have allocated at the start of the year. We hope your advisor has an idea how much would be needed to alleviate the burden you have passed on to your sponsors.”

“Has our paper been approved?”

“Of course.”

Kurumu shrugged, unsure why she had to be here to discuss finances. She tugged on Ginei’s sleeve.

“Wouldn’t it be better for some of us to start printing the papers?”

“Are you nervous?”

“It takes hours to print those. I’d rather start right away if we can.”

Ginei chuckled.

“We don’t have the budget to run the same number as we did last time. Remember we’re up to a twelve page paper when we only did an eight last time.”

The door behind them was drawn aside. Lady Hineri and her shadow, Kusutate, stepped into the room. The leader of the PSC smiled at Kurumu as she walked over to touch the back of Moka’s chair.

“Ah yes, Lady Hineri. I am pleased you came to join us.”

“The pleasure is all mine. What is your request for us?”

“The newspaper club needs an adjustment in funds. Okumatsu noted an exorbitant amount was set aside for the PSC that could be better used for a more student based club.”

Lady Hineri waved her hand dismissively.

“I will trust your judgement on what sort of funding our disciplinary committee requires.”

“I thank you for your understanding.”

“We will still need her club advisor’s blessing to make such an arrangement.”

“Lady Hineri’s statement would undermine any protest Ms. Yoshino might make against this. I believe we can authorize an emergency funding of the paper from our own savings.”

Okumatsu sighed.

“I suppose if we know we will be reimbursed by the PSC.”

Kurumu smiled, noting that Kana had taken the vacant chair next to Tora. The blonde set her schoolbag down on the floor, pulling her sketchbook out. Cocking her head aside, she started rapidly moving her pencil against the paper.

“So are we done now?”

Kaneshiro and Utsutei both chuckled.

“Of course not. I wish to speak with the club that helped overthrow the tyrant that has plagued this school for the past decade. You have restored the value of the student council. I was starting to think I would not be able to make a difference at all.”

Kurumu was not that interested in discussing the greatness of their act. Crossing her arms below her breasts, she slowly backed up to the wall beside the door, leaning back.

“I don’t feel like we did all that.”

“You are far too humble, Mr. Aono. You underestimate what you have done for this school.”

Lady Hineri grinned.

“You are the one that delivered the final blow to Kuyo. That is beyond question.”

“Everyone else weakened him to that state.”

“Of course, Mr. Aono. It is no small feat for a pair of young vampires to take down an experienced and talented member of the Kitsune community. I am aware that this was a group effort.”

Kana chuckled, but was too engrossed in her sketching to notice the looks thrown at her.

“Anyways, I have read your articles, Mr. Aono. I am very impressed with your perspective. The path to coexistence is a highly debated topic among the monster races. It is always a pleasure to find someone of a like mind that there are ways to coexist that don’t involve violence.”

“I feel like violence solves nothing.”

“Well… it did good in the matter of Kuyo, but I understand your desire to stand firm to your beliefs. Exceptions can be made, but the standard should remain true.”

Kurumu sighed, not all that interested in this lofty idealism. When the door opened with Ms. Nekonome stepping through, Kurumu quietly slipped out into the hall.

“Ms. Kurono?”

She smiled, realizing Utsutei had followed her. He nodded to the occupants before closing the door.

“Yes?”

“I was curious where you were going?”

Kurumu shrugged, gesturing to the door.

“I don’t feel like talking about Kuyo.”

“Did something happen?”

Kurumu sighed. The thing that bothered her the most about Kuyo was how she had almost lost Tsukune. She hated talking about Kuyo. It was almost as bad as offhand remarks about Nagare.

“I would rather forget about Kuyo. I don’t want to be praised for something we barely survived.”

Utsutei nodded. Taking a long pause, he wandered over to the bench built into the half wall. Touching the top of the wall, he smiled at her.

“That’s understandable.”

Kurumu glanced at the door, wondering if anyone from her club would join her. Most had been seated and Ginei probably got called into the discussion as he was their president. Doubting she would be rescued from this young man, she recalled a few things she had been told about the vice president.

“Did you actually announce your true form at the welcoming ceremony?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Do you want idealism or the real reason?”

Kurumu chuckled.

“The real reason.”

“There was a lot of pressure on Kaneshiro after his election. Kuyo, being the head of security, was frequently demanding the true forms of the student council be revealed to him.”

“I take it the Headmaster refused these requests.”

“Of course, but Kuyo had other means that he was not afraid to implement. He terrorized our first secretary into resigning her position and our treasurer mysteriously disappeared.”

Kurumu frowned.

“So the two we met-“

“We appointed those two after the welcoming ceremony. To alleviate the pressure on Kaneshiro, I came clean with my true form and put forth those two candidates with their respective true forms for Kuyo’s approval. It was the best way to avoid further confrontation with the man.”

“You bowed to his control.”

“I allowed Kaneshiro the privilege of retaining his mystery, which is victory enough for me.”

“Do you know his true form?”

Utsutei snorted.

“I really don’t care. It was the principal of the matter. He has the right to remain anonymous and I am pleased that I was able to give him that.”

Kurumu smiled.

“So what was the idealism you were considering spouting?”

He chuckled.

“Monsters do enough hiding. I don’t know if we can ever truly coexist if the humans never learn to accept us. I long for the day where I can fly over a city without worrying about some human calling the authorities.”

“Why would you want to fly over a city?”

“Because I can’t. Having something so simple denied me because I am what I am. This does not sit well with me. I want to be free of this cage.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Do you realize how popular you are?”

He chuckled.

“Of course. I was voted into this, after all.”

“I meant that I know a few Tengu girls that admire you.”

“Sounds like you know a few Tengu girls that need something better to do.”

“You don’t think yourself admirable?”

“That’s an unfair question. I will say that I am committed to the pursuit of my dreams. I don’t mind if someone finds that admirable if it means they will do likewise.”

“Go easy on my friends. We’re a bunch of first years. We don’t know what we want.”

“Tell your friends to find a dream. It’s no fun flying towards a destination you didn’t pick.”

The door slid open. The tall ashen haired boy walked out, closing the door behind him. He glanced at Kurumu.

“Is there an issue, Mikado?”

Utsutei gestured at the boy.

“You’ve met Kusutate Tsuya?”

“You know each other?”

Utsutei chuckled.

“We grew up together.”

“The Lady Hineri is concerned with her departure. Is there an issue?”

“Not really. Ms. Kurono does not wish to hear the president’s praises about their success. To be honest, it irks me as well considering how much effort was wasted between the three of us.”

“Effort?”

“Scheming. Lady Hineri and I did hope to overthrow him ourselves. Eventually.”

Kurumu shook her head, not caring about the plots of the student council and Lady Hineri.

“Whatever. Are they done in there? It takes hours to print those papers and I know Ginei. He’s going to keep us up all night and then want us here first thing in the morning to distribute those things.”

Utsutei chuckled. He gestured to the bench.

“Sit tight. I’ll go rescue your club from Hokuto’s monologue. No doubt he is rambling off on some tangent about the injustices of our society and how if we all hold hands, we will make the world a better place.”

Utsutei headed over to the door, clapping a hand on Kusutate’s shoulder.

“Think you’ll stick around to help their club?”

“If the Lady wishes.”

The door opened before Utsutei reached it. Ginei strolled out with a smirk on his face.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all.”

She could see the others were getting up from the chairs. Tsukune was on the far side of the table, chatting with Kaneshiro. He was grinning as he spoke.

“What’s Tsukune doing?”

Ginei shrugged.

“Bonding over idealism.”

“Kaneshiro is quite skilled at that.”

“I can tell. He has a way of trying to make you think his ideals are yours. He could probably convince a girl she wants to sleep with him.”

Kurumu sighed, shaking her head. She pointedly walked towards the stairs, taking the first step down.

“That’s not something admirable. Let’s prints some papers. I have other things I want to do tonight.”

* * *

The ding sounded the arrival on her floor. She took a deep breath as the elevator doors slowly opened. She regarded the key in her hand, hoping this would not be a mistake.

It was a little after nine. Ginei had let the four of them leave early so that they could have something to eat before Kurai stopped serving dinner. Tora was staying late along with Lady Hineri and that Kusutate fellow to finish up. Yukari had left right after the student council meeting, not caring for such manual labor. Tsukune had parted ways after dinner.

As she stepped out into the small elevator lobby, she opened her schoolbag to fetch the printed copy Ginei had allowed each of them to keep. She hoped this would be an acceptable peace offering for what she was about to do. Turning down the hallway, she walked quickly past her door.

When they had arrived at Baratoge, she had informed Kana that she had needed something from the housemother and to go on ahead without her. She had helped with removing Moka's shoes, but the incoherent vampire was unable to state what her shoe locker combination was. Realizing how difficult this would be for Kana, she had stuck around to assist her friends into the elevator before saying their farewells for the night.

The grumpy housemother had coughed up the key to 624 without much protest. Kurumu had to sign the waiver, which basically stated that she was liable for any property damage within that room while this key was under her care. She would also be held accountable if anything were to happen to the occupant. These conditions were in place to discourage students from invading each other’s personal space without good reason.

Kurumu paused at her destination, taking another deep breath. Pushing her schoolbag around her hip, she clutched the paper against her breast. Stepping close to the door, she rapped the back of her hand against it three times. The door was surprisingly cold.

“Shirayuki Mizore. I'm coming in. I have your key.”

She knocked three more times, giving the girl a chance to open the door. She glanced at the watch on her wrist, allowing two minutes to pass. Hearing no response, she pushed the key into the top lock, drawing the deadbolt back. Steeling her resolve, she moved the key to release the other lock while turning the knob.

Kurumu pushed into the room, her body quickly shivering under the severe change in temperature. She wished she was still wearing her shoes as it felt like she was walking across a sheet of textured ice and her socks were not offering much protection. Her breath came out in clouds of white as she clutched herself tightly about her torso.

A bunch of cardboard boxes had been stacked up in the far corner of the room. The doors to the closet were open. She wondered if Shirayuki was out for the evening. Shivering, she walked further into the room, noting that all the shelves within the closet were empty.

“Why are you here?”

Shirayuki was seated within the pile of boxes, her arms wrapped about knees that had been drawn up to her chest. The girl wore only a pair of purple striped panties, her bared skin so pale like she was made of pure white snow. The side of her face touched the top of her knee as she stared at the wall. The usual white stick was missing from her mouth.

“The housemother let me have a copy of your key.”

Shirayuki lifted a hand to brush aside her lilac bangs. A blue crystal broke free of her cheek, bouncing across the floor to settle against a box near her feet.

“Leave me alone.”

Kurumu's lower lip trembled due to the cold. She timidly held the paper out.

“I wanted to bring you this. It's a copy of our newspaper.”

“Why would I want that?”

Kurumu stepped over to the nearest stack of boxes. She noted the open smaller box on the top was filled with more striped panties and matching bras. She placed the paper beside this, staring down at Shirayuki. Taking a step back, she tucked her fingers against her sides while her arms pressed tightly about her torso.

“Are you moving?”

“They are kicking me out.”

Kurumu nodded, aware that there had been a petition to move the girl from the dorms.

“Not the school, right?”

Shirayuki sighed, lifting her head.

“Oh. I meant they are moving me to the suites.”

Kurumu managed a smile.

“They might move me to the suites too.”

Shirayuki shrugged, lowering her head back to her knees.

“There's a minor concern about my bodily fluids hurting other girls, though it’s deliberately being played up to protect someone.”

Kurumu shivered, waiting for a response. She wiggled her toes to confirm they were still attached. This skirt was not doing her any favors. She could not remember a time she had felt this cold between her thighs. She clutched her arms about her torso tighter.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“No.”

“Please.”

Mizore glanced up with her sapphire eyes.

“You would die.”

Kurumu was tempted to test that.

“I'm more durable than you think.”

Mizore glanced away.

“I don't want to kill you.”

“I know that.”

“That was an accident.”

“It's okay.”

Shirayuki shook her head, her throat constricting as a pained expression crossed her face. The temperature in the air dropped suddenly.

“Mizore?”

“It's not. That was not supposed to hit you. I was so angry. And then I was so scared. I could have killed everyone. I didn't mean to.”

It hurt to breathe. Her nose and cheeks stung as she struggled to hold her ground. It was impossible to hold her jaw still while rasping out her words.

“I'm sorry, Mizore. I know it's my fault.”

“Don't say that! My situation was hopeless from the start!”

Kurumu flinched. It was so cold. She had to blink her eyes to keep them from drying out.

“I just want everyone to be happy.”

The frigid air subsided enough for her to breath without her chest complaining.

“You don't understand. I'm not allowed to be happy. I can't be angry. I can't be sad. I can't have anything that resembles strong feelings.”

“That can't be true.”

“It's been this way since I first could make the snow fall.”

Kurumu frowned.

“I don't think happy is a strong feeling.”

Shirayuki sighed.

“Do you think love is a strong feeling?”

“I'm sorry, Mizore. I should not have talked with Coach Kotsubo.”

“A normal yuki'onna might have been able to make things work without the berries. What happened with Kotsubo was an accident.”

Kurumu paused as a shiver coursed through her body. It felt like the only warmth below her arms was the hotness within her bladder. She pressed her knees together.

“I know you didn't mean to hurt him.”

“I was scared. He grabbed me, saying he would steal my first kiss. It happened so fast.”

“You only kissed?”

Shirayuki shook her head.

“He couldn't. I froze him the moment I felt his breath on my face.”

Kurumu frowned, struggling with the notion that this had all been over an attempted kiss.

“Mizore. You realize there is a huge difference between trying to kiss someone and trying to have sex with them.”

“But once you kiss someone you start having sex with them.”

This was the level of stupid innocence she would expect from Moka. Kurumu sighed, shaking her head.

“… sometimes. They're different things. Like I can have sex with Tsukune but I can't kiss him.”

“You can't kiss your boyfriend?”

“Yea… I said there's a small issue with my bodily fluids. It's not good for me to be kissing anyone.”

Shirayuki glanced away.

“Have you ever thought some people are not meant to be happy?”

Kurumu could not guess the amount of times she had felt the world had conspired against her, and this was before coming to Yokai. The new things she learned about her nature from Ms. Sasayaki had been far more depressing than beneficial. She supposed it was a good thing to know, but it did leave her feeling hopeless about ever having a long term relationship.

“Happy or not, we're here and we have to make the best of it. Being sad won't change anything.”

“I'm jealous.”

Kurumu cracked a smile.

“Careful. That can be a strong feeling.”

“… … … how do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Be fine with it. You must realize you can't have a normal relationship with Tsukune.”

Kurumu chuckled, though it hurt her throat. Grimacing, she freed a hand from her side to rub her neck.

“I guess I'm fine with the way things are. He hasn't tired of my behavior yet, though I have calmed some since the whole pushing me away after I shamelessly threw myself at him.”

“You're lucky. I don't think Kotsubo will ever speak kindly to me again.”

“Kotsubo's a dick. You're not the first girl he's sweet talked into an illicit relationship.”

“You don't understand. He was probably my only chance of escaping my fate.”

“Your fate?”

Shirayuki shrugged.

“I'm not normal, even by yuki'onna standards. Our Snow Priestess believes I shall be her successor.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It's hopeless. The only things that lie in my future are an empty marriage and a gilded prison. They'll never let me leave Yukimura after I marry.”

Kurumu frowned, recalling how Shirayuki's mother had come to the school with her future husband. Shirayuki had shrugged off her question about knowing the guy from Hokkaido whom was supposedly here to watch over his fiancée.

“Mizore. Are you engaged to marry someone?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you don't know an Umizake?”

“I don't know that name.”

It did not feel like she was lying.

“Okay. Do you know whom you're engaged to?”

“I know it was some political arrangement made seven years ago over the summer.”

Umizake Aoi was the young man that lived on Tsukune's floor that had joined the PSC under the premise that it would not be too demanding of him. She knew he was the son of a prominent member of Fairy Tale. It was too convenient to not be true.

“You should meet Umizake. He's kind of apathetic, but not difficult to get along with.”

“I don't want to, Kurumu. I want someone to take me away from it all. I want to be free.”

“There are plenty of nice guys in our school. I'm sure you'll find someone else if that's what you want.”

“I doubt that. No sane man would give me a chance after what I’ve done.”

Kurumu sighed. No matter how much they tried to soften the severity of the attacks, a lot of students would think poorly of Shirayuki, including several of her friends.

“Tsukune would not hold it against you.”

Shirayuki sulked, squeezing her knees tighter.

“He sounds like a wonderful guy.”

“I'm sure there are other guys like him.”

“I guess.”

Kurumu rubbed her arms, barely able to feel her hands anymore. She was worried she might wet herself if she relaxed her muscles in her thighs even the slightest bit. She wanted to talk more, feeling like if she left the room to pee, it would be too awkward to return.

“You said something about berries making things easier to work.”

“I did.”

“What do they do?”

“They help your body adjust to mine.”

“So… if I ate one of these berries I could touch you.”

Shirayuki glanced up, frowning.

“Yea… though it's temporary.”

“How long are we talking about?”

“Maybe five minutes.”

Kurumu grinned, trying not to squirm so obviously.

“Do you have some berries?”

The girl glanced in the direction of the lingerie box. Kurumu stepped over, reaching and moving the soft fabric aside. She felt the temperature diminish slowly.

“It's the box below it.”

Kurumu smiled, noting the slight blush on Shirayuki's cheeks. Moving the lingerie box and her copy of the paper over to the next stack of boxes, she opened up the large box. There were several books lined across the container and a small wicker basket beside a tea set and kettle. She pulled the basket out.

“This?”

Not bothering to check for confirmation, Kurumu flipped the lid open. The black berries had a faint red hue to them. Realizing the girl did not have a huge stock of these, Kurumu took only a couple. Cradling the berries in her hand, she placed the basket back in the box.

“How long does it take to work?”

“Breathing in the scent is the quickest.”

“You don't have to eat them?”

“It lasts longer if you eat them.”

Kurumu sniffed the berries. She frowned at Shirayuki.

“These don't smell like anything.”

“It's too cold for you to notice.”

Kurumu brought her palm up to her face, cupping her mouth and nose. Her other hand drifted to her navel as she took in deep breaths. She closed her eyes, feeling her body slightly relax as the air lost some of its chilly bite. She counted slowly in her head, taking a breath at each interval of three.

“Do you have to pee?”

Nearly losing count, Kurumu coughed up a laugh. She glanced at Shirayuki, not wanting to remove her hand until some feeling returned to her feet.

“You should leave. The berries won’t protect you from an accidental ice spear.”

Kurumu glanced at the door, but stood firm. These berries had a rich, flowery scent. She imagined they would taste bad, but could see burning these as an incense or mixing them in with something that had a strong flavor. The urgency to urinate diminished as the rest of her body warmed to a point that it did not stand out so prominently.

Opening her mouth, Kurumu tossed the berries into her mouth, chewing them slowly. They were bitter, but she managed to swallow them down. She lowered her hand, trying to lick about her mouth to get the taste out.

“Kurumu?”

She smirked at Mizore.

“I'm feeling much better.”

“It only helps with the temperature for a short time.”

“Then I best make this quick.”

Kurumu pulled her schoolbag up over her head. She set it down beside her as she knelt down on the floor. Leaving her bag, she crawled over to a concerned Shirayuki. The girl released her knees, scooting back against the boxes stacked along the wall. Her hands and arms poorly hid the curves of her bosom.

“What are you doing?”

Kurumu touched the girl's knee, noting how cold it was despite the warmth of her body. Crawling forward, she reached over to caress Shirayuki's cheek. The girl turned her head aside.

“This isn’t safe. I could lose control at any moment.”

Kurumu smiled, glancing at the girl's breasts. The creamy white swell of her bosom was topped with bright red nipples which stood out proudly.

“What’s with your nipples? They look like cherries dropped on top of whip cream.”

“Is that bad?”

Kurumu smiled as the girl peered up into her eyes. She brushed back Shirayuki's bangs, leaning in to press a quick kiss on her forehead. Satisfied, Kurumu leaned back on her haunches, drawing her hands back into her lap. Shirayuki frowned, touching the damp spot.

“You kissed me. I thought you said that wasn’t safe.”

“And you said being this close wasn’t safe so we’re even.”

As Shirayuki glanced aside, Kurumu scooted in closer. She reached over to fuss with Shirayuki's hair. It was so thick and coarse.

“What did you do with the locket you normally wear?”

“I packed that away.”

“Do you want to hug?”

“Not while I'm naked.”

“It's no big deal. We're both girls.”

“Do you honestly think you can make a difference?”

“Well… I'm not going anywhere if all you're going to do is sit in this corner feeling sad.”

“Please leave me alone.”

Kurumu smiled, leaning in to kiss the girl's temple. The girl whimpered as she drew back.

“Stop doing that.”

“You'll have to tell me where you're moving to.”

“I don't know that yet.”

“Tell me when you find out.”

“Don't you have to pee?”

“Yea.”

“So go already.”

Kurumu smirked.

“I doubt you want to clean up the mess.”

Shirayuki frowned, shaking her head as she looked away.

“You know I didn’t mean in here.”

“I want you to be happy.”

“I don't know if I can be.”

“When you come back to school, try to make some friends. You can start with Tsukune. You can trust him not to push you into doing anything.”

Kurumu favored Shirayuki with a wistful smile.

“I can vouch for that. And after that, who knows? I'm sure Tamaishi and Burumoto would be cool with you. They might be on the soccer team, but I'm sure if you pranced about like this they wouldn't hold it against you.”

Shirayuki frowned, covering her breasts.

“And I'm sure if you wanted to, you could get Tora to be friendly. She is your lab partner, so you don't have to go out of your way at all. Don't know about Takurami, though.”

Shirayuki touched Kurumu’s shoulder while her other arm covered her nipples.

“I don’t need friends, Kurumu. I need a way out.”

“Don’t be silly. Everybody needs friends, Mizore.”

Shirayuki sighed. She drew her feet back as she slowly picked herself up from the floor.

“I'm going to the bathroom.”

Kurumu had to wait for the girl to step over her before getting back on her feet. Shirayuki fetched a bra out of the small box and was slipping it on. Kurumu reached down to pick up her schoolbag.

“Well, I'll come with you.”

“That was the plan. It felt like you wouldn’t leave the room otherwise.”

Kurumu giggled as she slipped her bag over her head. Her shoes dangled against her hip as she took in a deep breath. She wondered if this was good enough. It felt like they were on amicable terms again.

“When you come back, we should all eat lunch together. I feel like we've been putting that off forever.”

Shirayuki sighed as she wandered over to the door in her underwear. She opened the door and gestured for Kurumu to go first.

“If you insist.”


	13. New Beginnings

“I think we can handle things from here.”

Kurumu frowned as Ginei placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

“Hand me those papers. You should not be late to your first day in a new class.”

She glanced at her watch as he took the stack of papers from her arms.

“It’s only seven thirty.”

Ginei grinned.

“If you wait too long, you’ll get stuck here. Trust me.”

She supposed that was true. Like last time, they were only about halfway through their supply which meant a lot of students would be coming through in the next half hour.

“You can have mine too.”

Ginei snorted as Yukari held up her untouched bundle of papers. He gestured to the table where Tsukune was watching over their supply. Tora stood beside him with her notebook, keeping track of the number of papers handed out.

“You can put yours on the table, kid. I have to disinfect those before releasing them to the public.”

Yukari huffed, stomping off.

“Are you sure you won’t need my help?”

“I can always put Tora to work. I’m sure Tsukune can handle a tally sheet.”

Kurumu smirked at his quickness to exclude himself from taking her spot. Like last time, all he was doing was standing around in the back next to Tsukune, throwing out the occasional word of encouragement. He defended his non participation on the basis that pretty girls were better suited for working crowds. In fairness, he was leaving Tsukune out of the role.

Kana was sticking closer to Moka this time around. This meant she was handing out less papers, but it was understandable why the blond wanted to avoid being too separated from the group. It did help having her closer when they had been mobbed by the athletic teams.

A small hand tugged her sleeve. She smiled down at Yukari, taking her schoolbag from the witch. Slinging the strap over her head, she grabbed Yukari’s hand. They started down the short trail that ended at the main entrance.

“So how many papers did you hand out today?”

“He should have me switch places with Ms. Nazohashi. It’s a waste of my time.”

“You should suggest it to him.”

“I’m not going to admit defeat.”

“But you just said-“

“If he offers the switch I shall reluctantly accept.”

Kurumu smiled. She would have to mention this to Tora since she doubted Ginei would phrase things in a manner that would not injure Yukari’s pride.

“I spoke with Shirayuki last night.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to smooth things over with her.”

“You’re dumb. You don’t have to be friends with people that try to hurt you.”

Kurumu frowned.

“Yukari… that would be just about everyone I am friends with. Including you.”

Yukari sighed.

“Okay. Try to kill you. Is that better?”

“That was an accident. She said as much.”

“Of course she would say it was an accident. A liar like her would never admit her true motives.”

“You’re too skeptical, Yukari. Shirayuki’s a good girl. She just has… trouble expressing her feelings.”

Kurumu tugged open the main door for the witch. Following Yukari, she angled a little to the right to walk down the aisle of cubbies for the first year classes. She paused, reaching up to retrieve her slippers from the cubby next to Moka’s. She quick stepped to catch up to Yukari, since class two’s cubbies were further down the aisle on the right.

“So which open desk did you want me to take?”

“The one behind me. It is such a nuisance to have a spell constantly watching over my shoulder to keep those miscreants in line. Your presence will allow me to discontinue such tedious precautions.”

Kurumu grinned as Yukari lifted up on her toes to fetch her slippers from a cubby. Kurumu dropped her pair of slippers on the floor, bending down to loosen her laces.

“Are you sure about that? I might be tempted to do something to you.”

“I think I can handle anything you might do.”

Kurumu tugged off her shoes, placing them into a vacant cubby next to Yukari’s. Sliding her feet into the soft slippers, she walked to the end of the aisle and stepped up into the main foyer.

“Have you thought about ways to improve your relationship with your classmates?”

“No.”

Kurumu sighed.

“I’m not saying you need to apologize or anything. It could be as simple as smiling more often.”

“I smile plenty when I’m around Moka.”

“Well… maybe you can smile while thinking about Moka.”

“Wouldn’t that be creepy?”

Kurumu shrugged as they started up the winding staircase. She wondered if smiling for no apparent reason would be interpreted as creepy.

“If you don’t smile on your own, I’ll make you smile.”

“You sound confident.”

“Are you ticklish?”

Yukari pouted.

“Kurumu, don’t do that. Please.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want people treating me like a little kid.”

“Well I don’t like people treating you like you’re a plague to be avoided.”

“I’m fine, Kurumu. It doesn’t bother me.”

Kurumu sighed as they continued up the flight of stairs.

“Do you think we can convince Satsuki to switch desks?”

“Why would we do that?”

“She’s never mentioned any friends in class, so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind sitting next to you.”

“I would mind that. I’m allergic to her.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“My eyes start to water during Ms. Nekonome’s lecture. Nobody has noticed yet, but I don’t think I could get through a whole day with Ms. Unari sitting next to me.”

“So what? I’m sure the two of you being friends is more important than a couple tears in your eyes.”

“I don’t want to be accused of crying in class, Kurumu. That would be horrifying.”

Kurumu smiled as they reached the top of the stairs and started down the hall towards their class.

“But we all know about your allergies.”

“That’s not common knowledge. I only admitted to it because you tried to invite those two over to my apartment for Moka’s birthday.”

“So we tell the whole class. Nobody would question it.”

Yukari sighed.

“You are assuming that Ms. Unari is interested in being my friend.”

“She speaks with you.”

“Because of you. I’m sure if you weren’t pestering her, she would leave me alone like everyone else.”

Kurumu shrugged.

“I honestly don’t push her to talk to you that much.”

“I don’t need classroom friends. I would have managed even if you had not transferred.”

Kurumu smiled, thinking how Yukari had brightened up when told about her homeroom switch.

“Shirayuki is a lot like you. You both put on this tough act about how cool it is to be alone.”

“I’m not alone.”

Kurumu smirked, restraining her urge to snatch the hat off. She settled on poking Yukari’s shoulder.

“You’re happy I switched homerooms, brat.”

“That remains to be seen.”

They walked a short ways in silence, reaching the classroom hallway.

“So who did you get paired up in science lab? There’s no way you were allowed to work alone.”

“I’m with Mr. Osakebi and Mr. Senyou at station five.”

“Are they nice to you?”

“They recognize my superior ability and try not to get in my way.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Are they nice to you?”

“They don’t cause me trouble.”

Kurumu sighed, supposing that was good enough.

“I wonder whom Mr. Hakuru will pair me up with. Do you think he will reorder the groups to preserve his precious alphabetical order?”

“No. He assigned Ms. Kinzoku to station seven when she was able to return to classes. I imagine he will add you to station eight with Mr. Yano and Mr. Yakihara.”

Kurumu smiled, pleased that she would be paired with a familiar face. They slipped through the open door of class two. She quickly noted the tall and bulky Yano seated in the middle desk of the back row. On his left was the guy with the mess of black curls. They were chatting without any interest in the rest of the class.

They walked by the first two occupied desks. Yukari removed her hat, setting it on top of her desk so that she could pull her schoolbag up over her head.

“What are you doing here?”

Kurumu glanced at the first desk they had passed. The tall, tanned boy with the bleach blond hair openly scowled at her. She could not recall his name, but knew he was the former class rep that had caused Yukari much grief.

“She in our class now, Mr. Wanibuchi.”

Deshi grinned at the perplexed boy. The PSC girl was leaned back in her seat with her staff resting over right shoulder. With her plum haired head cocked back, she glanced up at them and smiled.

“Morning, Ms. Sendou, Ms. Kurono.”

Yukari huffed, hanging her bag on the desk’s side hook.

“Morning, Deshi.”

As Yukari took her seat, Kurumu wandered over to the vacant desk behind the witch. She noted that there were two boys already seated about the desk. The younger Hineri scowled at her, but looked away before their eyes could meet. Smiling, Kurumu slipped free of her schoolbag to set it on top of the desk.

“I heard you had some fun with my friends this weekend, Wanibuchi.”

The former class rep frowned.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bowling. Unari said she ran into your club.”

Wanibuchi chuckled.

“I suppose I did.”

“Did you have fun?”

“I had fun, though it had nothing to do with your friends. It was embarrassing to watch those girls.”

Kurumu smiled, fishing the Japanese notebook out of her bag. She knew no matter which desk Yukari picked, her chances of being called on to do a reading were very high. Setting the text aside, she hung her bag on the hook.

“So Ikazuchi wasn’t kidding. You really are in our class.”

The boy whom was seated in front of Hineri had his chestnut hair pulled back in a ponytail. She had seen him with the other boys from baseball.

“Yes. Starting today I will be your classmate. I’m Kurono Kurumu.”

Hineri huffed, shaking her head.

“As if that was needed. Everybody knows who you are.”

“She’s only being polite. I’m Abe Hizume.”

He held up a copy of their paper.

“I see you’ve spoken with quite a few of my friends from home.”

“Oh? Which ones?”

“I’m from Tokamachi.”

Kurumu smiled, wondering if he was one of the Kirin boys that was in baseball.

“It was fun working with the soccer team.”

“If you’re looking for the next team to do, I know we would be up for it.”

Kurumu nodded, slipping into the seat for her desk. They still had roughly twenty minutes before class would start, so only about a third of the class was here. That local Moroha kid was sitting in the back row corner near the windows. In the other back row corner by the door was a short kid whom was reading their paper. He had a long, braided tail slung over his right shoulder. Most of his grayish black locks were trimmed short, making this cord of hair thin and narrow. Hazumi from home ec was the only other girl. She was seated in front of Yano.

“Ms. Kurono.”

“Hmm?”

The young man on her left had rugged, golden brown locks that were swept up to a slight ridge at the top of his head. His nose had a slight hook to it.

“Ichida Taka. I am one of the class reps for class two.”

“One? I thought-“

She stopped, realizing it might be rude to say something about Wanibuchi. She smiled at the lizard boy as a charcoal haired boy with shaggy, thick locks strolled through the door.

“Mr. Wanibuchi is our other class rep.”

She nodded, relieved she had not said anything. She could not remember if it had been Deshi or Yukari whom had told her about Wanibuchi being relieved of his duties. Then again, that might have only been a temporary thing.

“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Ichida.”

“Likewise. Ms. Hiboshi warned me that you could be troublesome but amicable.”

Kurumu smirked.

“Are you friends with her?”

“She is part of my club.”

Kurumu did not remember all the faces that used to eat with Hiboshi. With tennis being coed, there were so many nameless faces in that crowd.

“Well I hope you guys are taking good care of her. She hasn’t been too happy about her new look.”

“The boys and girls don’t mix that much. She only spoke with me yesterday since she knew I would be your class rep.”

“How does that work?”

“How does what work?”

“Isn’t it just Coach Yaisoku? How do you guys not mix?”

“She has regular help from Mr. Shini. He acts as the coach for the boys.”

Kurumu nodded, noting that two girls had stepped in through the back door. One of the girls had her neck elongated more than normal as she chatted with a shorter girl with glossy black hair done up in pigtailed horns. They both took up seats around Hazumi.

“What’s with her neck?”

Ichida sighed.

“Ms. Endo.”

“Yes, yes.”

The girl’s neck returned to normal, allowing her fine, black hair to touch her shoulders. She smiled at Hazumi on her right, exchanging pleasantries while putting her paper in her schoolbag.

“She’s a rokurokubi that cares little about the rules.”

“Some of us hide our true forms poorly.”

Ichida chuckled.

“Yes. I think most of our class know yours and Ms. Sendou’s.”

Another boy slipped in the back whom had stringy black hair. He spoke to nobody as he slumped into the chair on Yano’s right. Another… person… walked in next. This faint pink haired kid took the seat next to Endo. It was probably a boy, but there were some underdeveloped girls in this school. The kid had curly, long hair that was gathered up in a loose ponytail.

“Well… once people know about it, you kind of lose the will to hide the truth all the time.”

“True, but not a good practice if you intend to live among humans.”

Kurumu shrugged, noting the young man seated behind Ichida. He had been there from the start but had said nothing. She vaguely recalled this silvery white haired guy was the one that had answered his door while brandishing a wooden sword in their faces. That was so long ago back when she had insisted on Tsukune meeting his neighbors. The young man was thoroughly absorbed in a book about kendo.

Not wishing to reintroduce herself to him, she turned her attention back to the grumpy Hineri.

“So you had nothing to say when we mentioned Hiboshi.”

“Huh?”

“I said you took no interest when we were talking about your friend.”

“She’s not my friend. She no longer talks with me.”

“Well… aren’t you spending all your free time with your softball team?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“If you want to talk with her, shouldn’t you try to?”

“Why should I go out of my way for her? She’s not going out of her way for me.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“You live across the hall from her. That’s not out of the way.”

“Would you leave me alone? I don’t want to talk about this.”

Kurumu sighed, looking up as another young man walked across the front of the class. This guy had sky blue hair that was pulled tightly back in a short tail. Some bangs had escaped the hold, spilling forward like antennae. He took the window seat in the first row.

“You talk a lot.”

Kurumu frowned at the small girl whom had turned about in the seat.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I don’t know. I kind of thought you would talk with me, but you’re talking with everyone.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“Are you jealous?”

“Of course not.”

Kurumu smiled, gesturing over her shoulder.

“It’s not like I’m the only one talking. Those three girls are chatting. Yano’s talking with that guy.”

“Osakebi. That’s Mr. Osakebi.”

“My point is everyone’s chatting. Even Wanibuchi.”

The lizard looked up at the sound of his name. He had been engaged in conversation with the guy sitting behind him. This other young man had an impressive, amber pompadour. She waved dismissively at their curious stares.

“You should try socializing more. Even if it’s with Deshi.”

“What that mean?”

“It means you’re a mischievous girl.”

“And you not?”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out, glancing up. Morisato Juri, the brunette from home ec whom had swapped gym lockers with Moka had strolled in through the front door. She frowned at Kurumu as she walked over to the aisle, slipping between Deshi and Yukari.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ms. Kurono shall be in our class starting today.”

Morisato nodded with a thoughtful expression. She sidled over to the desk behind Kurumu, taking her seat while holding her bag in her lap.

“Did you break up with your boyfriend?”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I doubt they would let me switch homerooms if that was the case.”

“I’m surprised they don’t have you stand out in the hall until the teacher is ready to present you.”

“Should I have done that?”

Ichida shook his head, waving dismissively.

“You’re not a transfer student.”

“But you know how Ms. Sunao is. She probably would want her to introduce herself.”

“As if there is someone in this class that doesn’t know her.”

Morisato shrugged at Hineri.

“It’s Ms. Sunao. She had Kinzoku introduce herself.”

“That was in poor taste. I felt embarrassed for her.”

“I think most of us did.”

“Hey, Kurumu.”

She smiled as Satsuki stopped at Yukari’s desk, waving.

“Hey, Satsuki. Where do you sit?”

Satsuki gestured towards as empty window seat.

“By Hineri.”

Kurumu nodded, supposing that meant Kinzoku sat behind Satsuki. It seemed unlikely for any girl to sit in the other vacant seat in front of the pink haired kid. While Kinzoku had been one of the first girls to disappear, it was not like she had not been around to pick her desk.

“Do you two get along?”

“With Hineri? I think so.”

“Is there a reason why would not get along?”

“I guess I meant do the two of you talk.”

“Talk? About what?”

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head. She should not be surprised by this response from Satsuki. She reached over to poke Yukari’s shoulder.

“Are you sure your allergies are so bad that she can’t sit by you?”

Satsuki huffed.

“I’m not switching desks.”

“Thank you, Ms. Unari. Kurumu is unreasonably persistent about making me socialize.”

Kurumu smiled as the first bell sounded. Her new class was about to begin.

* * *

Kurumu sighed, supposing she should not be surprised. This reaction was normal. With the school being so nonchalant about putting the students in dangerous situations, she had forgotten a few teachers were not complete psychopaths.

To prevent any future difficulties with Shirayuki, Ms. Hitori had changed up their stations. The teacher had switched the girls from stations fourteen and sixteen, while swapping Asuka out with Shirayuki. It was Ms. Hitori’s belief that Tokori and Taijin were more mature and less likely to agitate Shirayuki.

Asuka sulked while being hugged by the clingy Hinoko. To keep the blonde occupied, she had prompted Asuka to help cut up the vegetables for the dumplings they were making. In divine wisdom, Ms. Hitori had supplied them with a packet of dumpling wrappers, sparing them the joy of making more dough. Their new station partners had spent a good amount of time busily stuffing these tiny circles with the concoction of pork, vegetables and spices they had diced and mashed together.

Though they had two stoves, they had decided to work with only one. The shortest of their new partners was tending the skillet they had oiled up and placed the first batch of dumplings into. Once she had confirmed that the bottoms had been crisped to golden brown, the whitish haired girl had added some water and placed a glass cover to steam their goods.

Shinayaka Momiji had rich curls that fell about her heavy bosom. Her whitish locks were spotted with flecks of brown, gray and black. She hummed to herself as she swayed to a song in her head.

The tallest of these girls was Hazumi Furiko, the track girl from her new classroom. Like Endo, Hazumi had some difficulty retaining her true form throughout each lecture, though Kurumu would not have noticed if Ms. Nekonome had not scolded the girl for her ear slip halfway through fourth period. It was a bit comical considering Ms. Nekonome did this while having a tail slip of her own.

Hazumi was another gyokuto like Irewata. At that moment the charcoal, short haired girl had been showing a pair of firm and alert bunny ears. The poor girl had blushed, apologizing while pushing her ears back in with her hands.

Prior to this incident, Kurumu had endured an awkward third period science lab. As anticipated, Mr. Hakuru had assigned her to station eight. Unfortunately Yano and Mr. Yakihara, whom turned out to be the guy with the flamboyant pompadour, were both difficult to work with. They kept having dirty thoughts about her. She tried to break up these flashes of desire with some small talk, but it was kind of apparent that the two boys were not taking notes on how to do their lab assignment tomorrow. Heaven forbid she was the smart one of this group.

She wondered if she could convince Mr. Hakuru to switch her with Wanibuchi. She would rather be at station seven with Kinzoku and Satsuki than to try to make things work with those two boys. The biggest drawback of making that suggestion was knowing Kinzoku's plans of leaving after midterms. Maybe she could convince the girl to stay. That would make Hinoko happy. She would talk to Satsuki about it in gym.

To her surprise, Yukari had packed a lunch for her. She had let the witch convince her to stay, spending her lunch hour conversing about their classmates. Yukari had some harsh opinions about all of the back row boys, clearly agitated that she had to put up with Osakebi. She agreed that a partner switch was in Kurumu's best interest, doubting any boy amicable with Wanibuchi was worth Kurumu's time.

Kurumu could not recall if they talked about anything else. She had brought up plans for future articles, but Yukari had not been much interested in that. The brat still wanted her to read that cat encyclopedia.

The small timer sounded off and Shinayaka pulled the cover off the skillet. A billow of steam wafted up as the girl grabbed a turner. The other volleyball girl from class six stepped in close with a tray in her hands. Shinayaka scooped the goods out, dropping them on the tray.

Meisai Nadako had fluffy black hair that felt like cotton. The girl was about Moka's size in height and bust. Like her friends, she never wore the green jacket, preferring the freedom of the sweater. She giggled as one of the dumplings slid off the tray onto the countertop. Meisai set the tray down, plucking the errant dumpling and popping it in her mouth as Shinayaka set the skillet on an inactive burner.

Kurumu grabbed up the platter of prepared dumplings and walked over to the stove. She carefully placed them down in neat rows upon the hot skillet, wanting to get as many in as possible.

“Um… Ms. Kurono?”

Hazumi was lingering by the sink. She had started on the few prep dishes. She lifted her skirt to dry her hands as she cocked her head aside.

“Why did you transfer to our class?”

Kurumu smiled, shrugging once she placed the last of the dumplings down. Meisai handed the oil over to Shinayaka, whom promptly spread a thin layer about the skillet before placing it on the flame.

“Is it because Ms. Akashiya wants Mr. Aono all to herself?”

“Huh?”

“You're her handmaiden, right?”

“I don't know if vampires do handmaidens, Fufi.”

“But they're nobles. Of course they would.”

Kurumu chuckled, setting the platter on the island counter.

“I don't know about what most vampires do, but I'm not a handmaiden. Whatever that is.”

“But the two of you get along so well.”

Kurumu frowned.

“We fought over Tsukune the first week here. Naturally I won.”

“Maybe she pulled her weight and had you removed from the picture.”

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Asuka.

“You two are stupidly obsessed over handmaidens.”

“That's not true. Fufi's the one jealous of Haruhi. I've never wanted to be a Kitsune's plaything.”

“But she's so lucky, Nyanya. Lady Hiboshi takes such good care of her. If I wasn't so tall, maybe I could have been chosen.”

“Have the two of them made up?”

Hazumi frowned.

“It's not like they are fighting.”

“I think Haruhi should spend more time with the team.”

“She would only whine about her Hiboshi if she did. That gets annoying fast.”

“But she loves her master. Lady Hiboshi has three tails now. That's a high honor.”

Meisai giggled.

“Three tails but a ten year old body.”

“That won't matter in a few years.”

“You wouldn't happen to know what happened to Lord Kuyo, Ms. Kurono?”

Kurumu shrugged at Meisai's inquiry.

“Lady Hineri mentioned he was turning himself over to Fairy Tale.”

“Good riddance. I was worried what might happen to Haruhi if those two got married.”

“So how long have you two known Irewata and Hiboshi?”

“God, I feel like I've known Haruhi forever.”

“Since kindergarten.”

“Before that. She was our nearest neighbor so we would visit her family all the time.”

Kurumu smiled, aware that many of the oldest communities were like this. Mononoke was kind of rare in its attempts to emulate the human world by having homes arranged like a neighborhood. In Kengamine only the commercial and municipal buildings were arranged like a town. The homes had been scattered about, some not even within the town's protective barrier.

“What about you, Ms. Kurono? How long have you known those two vampires?”

“I met the two of them at the start of the school year.”

“Is it true that they are secretly engaged to marry?”

“Of course not!”

“She's Ms. Akashiya's handmaiden. She's not going to tell the truth.”

“I'm not a handmaiden.”

“How else could you steal a vampire away from another vampire? It's obviously a ruse.”

“That does make sense.”

“Asuka!”

“Well… you did say you weren't charming him. And I know you are good friends with Ms. Akashiya.”

Kurumu sighed. Letting people think Tsukune was a vampire was good for him but it was horrible for her status as his girlfriend.

“Please believe that I'm his girlfriend. I've had a rough last week and I can't deal with people thinking I don't matter to Tsukune.”

“I'm sorry, Kurumu. I didn't mean it like that.”

“I think it's wonderful that you care so much for him. When your Lady is exhausted or unable to fulfill his needs, you will be there for him.”

Kurumu grimaced at the thought of being the spare girl. Such a life would be the result of accepting she was never good enough for him on her own. If she truly was so useless, would it not be better to break things off? She could live with him occasionally cheating. She could forgive that. But she could not be the one causing him to cheat on someone else.

“Don't listen to Fufi, Ms. Kurono. She writes porn in her spare time.”

“It's romance, not porn.”

“Sure. I dare you to read one of your stories aloud in front of the class.”

Hazumi blushed.

“I can't do that!”

“Because it's smut.”

“Even if it wasn't, it would be too embarrassing.”

Shinayaka shook her head as she added water to the skillet, placing the glass cover down.

“I don't understand her fascination with threesomes. I'm content with the idea of marrying and having a few kids. I think an extra woman would only complicate things.”

“In theory it's easier to manage the kids. In practice it ends up the duty of the handmaiden while the Lady does whatever she pleases.”

Kurumu frowned. Maybe vampires did take handmaidens. Moka clearly had two mothers. The one currently running things was not her true mother, but seemed like the haughty, noble sort to force another woman handle the task of child rearing.

“You won't be in my gym group anymore.”

“Hmm?”

“You'll be with Yuu now. That's so boring. I wanted to play with you on my team.”

Kurumu chuckled at the pouty Asuka.

“I wasn't going to be on the softball team, Asuka. I'd be surprised if you even make the cut.”

“Hey!”

“There's no shortage of girls that can play the outfield.”

“I should practice pitching. Then I'd get a spot for sure.”

“You're as bad as Nerume. You care way too much about gym.”

“But it's fun.”

“Gymsh no fun.”

“I wasn't talking to you, leech.”

“I guess Irewata will need a new partner for stretches again.”

“That's true. Doesn't your class have an odd number of girls with you leaving?”

“Technically we have Shirayuki in our class, but I suppose she doesn't count.”

“We don't bother counting Ms. Sendou.”

Kurumu smiled, realizing her former class would sort things out. Most likely Moka would volunteer to take in the orphaned Irewata. She should be more worried about whom she would pair up with.

“Whom do you stretch with, Hazumi?”

“I was partnered with Yasuko up until a few days ago. Kumiko got upset with Ami and stole her from me. Since Ami is so much shorter than me, I paired up with Ms. Kinzoku.”

Kurumu nodded, having no clue whom Yasuko was.

“So Ami doesn't have a partner?”

“Shesh my parner.”

“No she isn't. We can't get you to do anything.”

Kurumu smiled.

“Whom was your partner before Ami, Hinoko?”

The redhead frowned, tapping her cheek.

“I dunno.”

Asuka giggled, tousling the girl's curls.

“Everyone knows she wanders aimlessly about.”

“Ami's been pairing with Ms. Unari and Ms. Endo. You could probably pair up with her until Kumiko gets over her problem with Ami.”

“I’m sure it’s a problem with Hiboshi and she's taking it out on Ami.”

“These are done.”

Shinayaka gestured for Meisai to be ready as she tugged the cover off the skillet. Knowing they would need another batch, Kurumu picked up the platter and wandered back to the stove.

“I do hope Lady Hiboshi and Haruhi work things out soon. She was crying so much over the weekend.”

Kurumu smiled.

“So what happens if there is no wedding with Kuyo? Is she still a handmaiden?”

Meisai shrugged as Shinayaka finished scooping out the dumplings onto her tray.

“That depends on if her Hiboshi still wants her.”

“Haruhi is adorable. Of course she still wants her.”

“If the thing with Kuyo is off, I don't know why she would keep Haruhi.”

“Ms. Yoshino has kept Ms. Rin for years.”

Meisai blushed.

“That's not the same thing.”

Kurumu smirked, unsure if she wanted to know the specifics behind that reaction. She started placing the dumplings onto the skillet.

“So why did Hiboshi make Irewata her handmaiden?”

Meisai shrugged, setting the tray aside.

“I don't know. Maybe she likes to nibble on her.”

Shinayaka smirked as she added some oil before setting the skillet down on the burner.

“Fufi writes a lot of stories about predator prey relationships. I don't see the attraction.”

“You grew up in Tsunan. There's no predator villages in Tsunan.”

Shinayaka shrugged.

“I think the dynamic of a predator prey relationship is thrilling. You never know which way you'll be eaten.”

Both girls blushed.

“Okay, you need to keep that to yourself, Fufi.”

“You're a lot different from when I interviewed you.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.”

Meisai snorted.

“She only acts up around Irewata and me.”

“We also happen to be talking about something she has a strong opinion about.”

“She's usually quiet when she eats with our team at lunch.”

Hazumi frowned.

“I don't know half those girls. There's no way I could talk about stuff like this around them.”

Kurumu chuckled.

“I didn't realize my presence doesn't count.”

“But you're a handmaiden.”

Kurumu sighed at this girl's stubborn persistence.

“You know Hinoko here has a bad habit of running her mouth about everything she overhears.”

“Oh.”

Meisai chuckled.

“It's over Fufi. Now everyone will know you secretly desire to munch the fur of another woman.”

Asuka frowned, hugging Hinoko tightly.

“Is that true?”

“No! I mean, I guess I'm not that opposed to the idea, but I still want a boyfriend.”

“But your locker is in the same row as mine. Now I have to hide when I change.”

Kurumu giggled, shaking her head.

“Don’t be silly. You don't have to hide your body, Asuka. You don't have anything she doesn't have.”

“That's not the point.”

“You wear your sports bra all the time. You're fretting over nothing.”

“I suppose.”

“I heard you went bowling with Nerume and Satsuki this weekend.”

Asuka grinned.

“Yea… that was a lot of fun. Do the three of you want to come?”

“Come where?”

“My birthday party. I'm turning sixteen tomorrow, but we'll have my party this Saturday at the bowling alley around four.”

Kurumu smirked.

“You recovered quickly.”

“It will be more fun with more people. It's not like I don't know Hazumi. I just didn't know she was gay.”

“I'm not gay!”

“Bi?”

“Help me, Nyanya.”

“Nope.”

“Should we bring Haruhi with us?”

“I guess you can.”

Kurumu smirked as Hazumi wrung her hands in dismay.

“I'm not gay. Please, you can't spread rumors like that.”

“You'll have to let Taijin know you're adding four girls to your party.”

“I think we will be fine. I don't think we've broken twenty yet.”

Kurumu shrugged, not caring to do the math.

“I really hope Tokori comes. I feel like we'll never be close again now that she's been taken from us.”

Tokori and Taijin were lounging about station sixteen next to the door to the hallway. Taijin was reading a book while Tokori cleaned the dishes. Without Asuka and Hinoko dragging them down, the pair had knocked out this assignment in record timing.

“I'm a little worried about it too. But she's with Taijin and she's also in the PSC with a good friend of mine. I think we'll all still be friends, despite this change.”

“I hope so. It will be depressing if she doesn't show up when I deliberately changed the time to four so that she could stop by after work.”

“You know she will probably only stay a couple hours. She has to go home and help with her brother so that her mother can go to work.”

“Yea… I know that.”

Asuka managed a smile, glancing at Kurumu.

“Do you ever have to help your mother? Mine only lets me when she's really bored.”

Kurumu smiled softly, thinking how much housework she had done. She withheld her initial instinct to talk poorly about her mother.

“My mother works so I had to take care of most of the chores. I honestly don't know how she will manage without me there.”

“It must be rough having only one parent.”

“Yea… I still need to write her a letter.”

* * *

May 31st

I can hardly believe that it’s been two weeks. In some ways it feels like it has been forever.

I’ll start with saying thanks for the money. I haven’t dipped into the funds you dropped in my savings account, but I have spent more than half of the cash. I’d like to say I put it to good use, but I bought a swimsuit. Some stupid wench snapped my top over a month ago so I needed a replacement. I know swimming isn’t exactly a high priority thing, but I really wanted to have it as an option if we ever go to the beach or something. Come to think of it, I don’t even know if we have a beach. I know we flew over the ocean but that was over the side of a cliff.

I’ve befriended four Tengu girls and we’re working together to teach Tora to fly. Two of those girls are from my class and the track team I interviewed. The other two happen to be friends of theirs. I’m glad that they are helping out since I don’t know how to teach someone to fly. It’s so hard to explain how everything works.

I never asked but do you know how to fly? I kind of assumed that you do but I suppose you may have never figured it out. It’s not like you had your wings or tail out on a regular basis even when we lived in Kengamine. I know it sounds stupid but maybe we can go flying together during summer break.

Now that I think about it, I’m actually not in their class anymore. I’ve been switched. I had a little issue with our math teacher and some changes are being made. It was nothing serious for you to worry about. I’m fine.

I found out after club today that I will be moved out of the dorms into the suites. I’m going to be staying in Suite 323, which is right behind Yukari’s. Ms. Nekonome reassured me that there will be no extra cost associated with the move since this was done out of concern for my classmates.

I guess succubus saliva has risks. I’m going to apologize right now about that Kano boy. I didn’t realize kissing a guy could do that. In my defense, you never made a fuss about kissing when I was dating Takada. You made the whole turning people into slaves sound like a joke. That was not a fun discovery.

I’m sure you’re wondering why I would kiss that boy if I was dating Tsukune. The short version is that I was blackmailed. I had to go on a date with him or he would expose things I did in Junior High to the school. Things got carried away and now he’s an obsessive maniac that needed to be sent away.

But enough of that unpleasantness. As you can see, I’ve included our second issue of the newspaper. This time we have a meet the staff section. Ginei was sneaky about taking our pictures, so that is not the most flattering picture of Tsukune. It’s also obvious that he values my breasts more than my face. I have no idea how he got a shot of me from that angle. I suppose it works, but my breasts are big enough that they don’t need an angle to accentuate their size. Stupid jerk.

Oddly enough, I feel like the person I’ve learned the most about these past couple weeks is Ginei. This is more because he had been so intentionally mysterious and troublesome. Now I realize he’s just a good guy with lots of potential girlfriends if he wanted one. There’s Tora, whom absolutely adores him and gives him every benefit of the doubt. Then there’s Sangi, the film club president, whom happens to be a former classmate of his and has gone out of her way to make sure someone helps out with my articles. Even that very pretty Okimune Hitsumi from the choir club speaks amicably with him. She was his former science lab partner. Did I mention that he gave Moka a present on her birthday? If he wasn’t such a notorious pervert, he could have any girl he wanted.

Did you have any special upperclassmen in your broadcasting club? I know it couldn’t have been just you, dad and Shirayuki’s mom. Surely you must have had some inspirational figure that encouraged you. I know the Tengu girls are all in love with the student council vice president.

Since I keep mentioning them, the two girls from my former class are Hanetsume Hatoko and Tobuyoku Suzume. Hanetsume and her friend Dangai Michiko are both from Shimane. They have a thicker accent than anybody in Kengamine. Ginei called me out on having an accent which I dismissed until I heard those two talk on a regular basis. I hope nobody thinks I’m some country girl. I don’t talk that bad, right?

The last girl is Honda Kiki. She’s weird. I can’t tell if she has a thing for Tsukune or not. I can’t say much else about her and I guess I don’t actually think of her as a friend. She’s just there.

Now these four girls are friends of that Asuka girl I mentioned in the last letter. Asuka’s turning sixteen tomorrow, and she’s invited a whole bunch of us to her birthday party this coming Saturday. I know that will be a lot of fun since all of my friends will be there. Okay, maybe not all of them because Yukari has this thing against being social.

I don’t know if you are aware that you can put your tail stigma into this spot behind your ear. I sort of discovered this and it seems I have the ability to pull people into a dream world and to invade the dreams of others. Yukari feels that this is an amazing ability which allows me to bypass the physical issues of kissing. I realized I’ve turned to this as a crutch because I’ve had such difficulty approaching Tsukune ever since the issue with Kano. It’s not that Tsukune knows about Kano. In fact I hope that he never finds out.

Other than a couple silly things in the dream world, I don’t feel like I’ve made any progress in my relationship with Tsukune. He doesn’t initiate much affection, saying he’s afraid he will lose all control if he starts fooling with me. I know I should feel flattered, but it’s depressing. Half the school is running away with this rumor that he’s a vampire, which has everyone saying he’s Moka’s boyfriend instead of mine. Ginei started this rumor to keep the heat off Tsukune, since we all know that he’s weak. It kills me that I can’t correct everyone about it.

I have to love Moka for her kindness. She has not taken advantage of this turn of events at all. That’s why I know it won’t be a big deal with switching homerooms. The rumors might go wild, but I know Moka won’t steal him away from me. I think she knows her family would never approve of her being with him, so she’s hesitant to ruin our friendship over something her family would not support. Or maybe she loves me more than him.

I feel worse about leaving Moka than I do about Tsukune. I will miss our morning routine of me pestering her to wake up. I shall be leaving her in Kana’s care since they live on the same floor.

Speaking of girls that live on Moka’s floor, both Nerume and Satsuki live on her floor. I can’t remember if I mentioned these two last letter. Genzouyaki Nerume is from my former class with Moka and Tsukune. She’s an idiot that sleeps a lot in class. She has an older sister whom is already married and has a baby. She also has three younger brothers. She fully supports my relationship with Tsukune, which makes her so special to me. She helped me with the soccer article with hopes of finding a boyfriend. No luck there. She is tiny though as in one of the few girls shorter than me. I don’t want her to worry about being alone and unloved.

Unari Satsuki is her friend from Junior High. These two girls are from the Akita prefecture near Lake Tazawa. Satsuki is Ms. Nekonome’s niece and Nerume came along to Yokai to be with her friend and get out of a busy household. Apparently the prefectural school for Akita is by the lake, so both girls wanted to avoid living with their parents’ for another three years.

I don’t know a whole lot about Satsuki. She has a brother whom is much older than her. I get the impression that his care requires much of the family finances, leaving little for Satsuki. She’s very straightforward and practical. She’s also in my new homeroom, so I will be seeing more of her. She really helped me get through a hard morning last week, which resulted in another hospital visit. Don’t worry. I’m fine, but I have some questions about our species.

Asuka mentioned two succubi women that her father knows. One is a member of Fairy Tale whom goes by the name Kiyoshi. You probably don’t know her. The other is a matchmaker that Fairy Tale has been trying to recruit. I didn’t get her name, but she must be important enough for Fairy Tale to want her. I made mention of this to Ms. Sasayaki, our science teacher whom has been helping me learn a few things about my body. She doesn’t care much for Fairy Tale, but we may end up talking to one of these women in order to better understand things about being succubi.

I know this may be a little late to be asking this, but how was I born? During my last hospital visit with Ms. Sasayaki, she noted that I don’t have a uterus. I understand that this is an important thing to have when it comes to making babies. This lack of one has her completely baffled as to how I could carry a baby inside my body. I know you mentioned that I kept my eggs in my body but she could not find any reason to believe that. She feels that it would be better to ask one of these women or you directly about how this works before turning to expensive, medical means.

I won’t be upset with you if I had to be hatched. That’s no big deal. None of those Tengu girls are built to carry babies either, so it’s not something horrifying that will scar me for life. I just feel like I should know these things. I’m very serious about this relationship with Tsukune and I might start having sex. I know that sounds stupid and horrible. I know I’m only fifteen. But every time I find myself alone with him, my thoughts inevitably turn towards having sex. I’m sorry if this upsets you but the only reason why your little girl is still a virgin is because he’s patiently waiting on his parents’ approval.

Please be honest with me. I’m going to find out the truth from Ms. Sasayaki, one way or another. I would rather her be confirming something you say, than contradicting some statement you make thinking you have to protect me. I’m over what happened with Dad. I get it. Kissing eventually broke him down. It’s not your fault because nobody was there to tell you.

But you’re there for me. You’ve always been. We might be dreaming too big with these lofty notions of college, but you can definitely guide me towards a better future if you share your mistakes with me. Don’t be scared.

I love you.


End file.
